I realize that not everybody that reads this hails from the United States, but those that do are most likely celebrating Thanksgiving Day. As I write this some of you are probably already trying to sleep off the results of your feast. My family is just now in the final steps of preparation. I also realize that not all of you will celebrate the holiday from a religious perspective–I do trust that wherever your thankfulness is directed it will be expressed clearly–I encourage you to make this day a bit more important than football, parades and turkey.

However, my comments today are expressly Christian. Let me begin by speaking of what is the centerpiece of Christian worship. Depending on your faith tradition you may refer to it as the Lord’s Supper, Communion, the Table of the Lord, etc. More liturgical denominations often call it the Eucharist. This is where I would like to focus. The background of that is the Greek cognate εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteo). Why do I bring that up today?–it’s translation is “thanks” or to “give thanks.” So when we, as Christians, celebrate the Lord’s Supper it is an event of giving thanks. I wonder if when we “give thanks” today we can celebrate that which ought to cause us the greatest thanks–our salvation?

Pastor Jeff

I wonder what the demographic would be if we knew what percentage of blog writers/readers were readers of other types of literature. I have been looking at some recent surveys about reading and it seems that the percentage of Americans that are reading is increasing for the first time in years–while that first appears as good news it does not mean we live in the midst of a group of serious bibliophiles. Most of the reading seems to be taking place in the fiction market and while there is certainly good fiction available, the success of “blockbusters” like Harry Potter (of years past) and the Twilight series does not bode well for the future of serious works.

For the time being let’s assume we at least have a significant interest in reading. As the polling data indicates what we are reading does make a difference–Mortimer Adler in How to Read a Book indicates that “the error of assuming that to be widely read and to be well-read are the same thing.” So what does it mean to be “well-read?” It obviously does not have to do with reading a lot of books, but with reading the right books. It was C.S. Lewis that pointed out that if a book is not worth reading many times it is not worth reading once. So what books are worth reading many times? Sets of books like The Harvard Classics or Great Books of the Western World are a great place to start. Find sources you trust and find recommended resources. There is a great list in the the appendix of How to Read a Book.

One of the important things to remember is not just to read books you are comfortable with–good reading should stretch us. Returning to Adler in How to Read A Book, “Good books are over your head; they would not be good for you if they were not. And books that are over your head weary you unless you can reach up to them and pull yourself up to their level.” That moves the question to a different level–Is the reading of the important books worth the effort? Those books are not going to be found on any bestseller list. In fact, the books that are worth our time are ones that we may have to search for. If I can return to C.S. Lewis for a moment–he has an important statement regarding what has become known as chronological snobbery–”the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited. You must find why it went out of date.” New is not necessarily better–just the opposite may be true.

I you are a reader I would be very interested in some of your own recommendations.

Pastor Jeff

Many are aware that today will be celebrated as the 150th anniversary of the publishing of Charles Darwin’s landmark work, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or The Preservation of Favoured Races In the Struggle for Life. Whether you find yourself praising the book or demonizing it, it must be agreed that it is one of the most important books published in the last 200 years. Because of the importance of the book the name of its author has become one of the most commonly used words in scientific, religious and cultural discourse.

It was Richard Dawkins who said that Darwin made it intellectually satisfying to be an atheist. I’m not sure if that means it was intellectually frustrating to be an atheist prior to 1859. Back to evolution–even though evolution has “evolved” past the Darwinian scheme in many ways, he is still synonymous with the system in most people’s minds. Then, of course, part of the discussion must move into the question as to whether the biological theory is culpable of some cultural evils (“the final solution,” eugenics, etc.) that have allegedly sprung from it–commonly known as Social Darwinism.

What about the religious element?–there should be, at this point, a loud and in unison scream of protest coming from all atheist/agnostic readers. However, any serious study of the history of evolution will point out that the anti-religious philosophical foundation in the mid 19th century paved the way for the introduction of Darwin. There are few that would [honestly and] dogmatically assert that the strength of the theory lies solely in its scientific impeccability. I believe it was Julian Huxley who is quoted as saying, “The reason we jumped at the Origin [of Species] was because the idea of God interfered with our sexual mores.” So here we are in 2009–Happy Birthday Origin–I think.

Pastor Jeff

If you have been to the site of Thomas Jefferson’s retreat in Forest, Virginia known as “Poplar Forest” then you know it is a study in restoration. It is amazing what 230+ years, 3 owners, and many renovations, along with a fire can do to “mask” a historic homes’ original condition. The process of trying to return the home, outbuildings and landscaping to what Thomas Jefferson would have seen on a daily basis is meticulous in every way. It takes archaeologists, master craftsmen, historians all working together as they find details in the writings and drawings of Mr. Jefferson, hints from his design of Monticello (his home in Charlottesville, Virginia), along with some of the subtle clues derived from the surviving architecture. Masters of every creative art are brought in and neither time nor money is spared to make sure that every possible detail is cared for in the finest fashion.

Those of us that may be history students and especially of Thomas Jefferson would say that all this time, money and effort are justified in arriving at a highly accurate finished product–everybody else probably considers it a massive waste. Let’s take this in another direction. What is important to you? What really matters? If you are a Christian the answer probably has to do with matters of eternity and/or issues of integrity. If you are not then those issues of integrity hopefully are still important to you and they may have to do with relationships, professional issues or sundry other concerns.

Here is the question–while we may or may not agree that a historical restoration is important enough for all that work–do we consider godliness and/or personal integrity, excellence in our pursuits, discipline in our lives worthy of careful meticulous effort? What about a serious development of the life of the mind? What about purposeful goals and objectives that will direct us in the way we sense we need to go? Or will a shoddy effort suffice? All that is really required of us is enough to get by–right? One must wonder then if what we say matters, really matters?

Pastor Jeff

Some of you will remember the old anti-freeze commercial which ended with that rather rhetorical question–”if you can’t trust Prestone, who can you trust?” Trust is a rather interesting concept. We know that trust can be given, but if broken must be earned back–in a difficult and time consuming way. We are called on to trust all the time–when we sit in a chair, when we get on a plane, when we eat at a restaurant, etc. Most of us have probably had a teenage child in a somewhat whining/pitiful/begging/incredulous tone  say to us, “don’t you trust me?!” Often, the most honest response to that question is no. Then there are the people we feel we should trust. We sense that we ought to be able to trust the authorities in our lives–things like the government (that is becoming more and more difficult) and our professors (which is becoming more and more unwise).

This is especially true when it comes to early American history.When those of us that have been educated in the public school system of the United States for the last 40-50 years, actually have the opportunity to read some of the primary documents of the Founders and hear some of the things they actually said will usually respond in a rather disgusted tone, “I have been lied to!” Of course, this is a proper response because it is true–we have been lied to. I have addressed this before but I am continually amazed at seemingly educated people who attempt to build the case for the absurd claim that our Founders were mainly deists or secularists. Don’t misunderstand me–I realize they only say this because they also have been lied to.

And we have been lied to in so many areas in our early history–that our law, our education, our Constitution were not based on the foundation of the Bible, religion and morality. A really great one is that the “wall of separation of church and state” is actually in the Constitution–that is maybe the best example of “if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough people will begin to believe it.” The truth is that what we read in history books, what we see on documentaries, and what history professors tell us about the founding era would be completely unrecognizable to our founders. And the reason we have become so gullible is because we are ignorant of the truth–we buy into the thinking that says if I read it in a book then it must be true. Unfortunately, we cannot trust our education to the educators–we must begin to educate ourselves–with the truth!

Pastor Jeff

I probably should not confess that I am already listening to Christmas music–but that is the pitiable state of affairs. So it only makes sense that I have been thinking about Christmas for some time. My thoughts went on this trajectory this morning. First, I started wondering why it is  that Christmas has so eclipsed Thanksgiving (this certainly is not a new reality). As I thought about that I then started considering how Halloween and Easter have grown in prominence. On Easter our celebrations not only include those religious in nature (crosses, empty tombs, black/purple/white cloths, sunrise services, etc.), those more secular/springtime in theme (candy, baskets, Easter egg hunts, Easter bunnies, new clothes, etc.) but now we see things like malls offering picture taking opportunities with the Easter Bunny (normally reserved for Santa Claus) along with trees being decorated mainly with plastic eggs.

Our Halloween celebrations have grown exponentially. It has gone far beyond child costumes and candy. Front yards are now being decorated far more than for any other holiday–grave yards, life size (or bigger than life) monsters, witches and other such scary types (many of them animated). So we have Easter, Halloween and Christmas having become such celebratory spectacles, that Thanksgiving has been overshadowed. This takes us back to my original question–why has this happened to Thanksgiving Day? My first response was religious in nature–it is because Thanksgiving is so based in religion (although that is attempting to be re-written). Granted our current celebrations have moved us a little of course (football, parades, etc.) That explanation does not work since there is no holiday more religious than Easter and Christmas–even though the move toward secularization is strong. I then thought that maybe it had to do with Thanksgiving being more of a national holiday–that does not suffice either because another holiday that we are celebrating with amazing gusto is the 4th of July (which John Adams felt should be celebrated as a day of reverence and worship to God Almighty).

Then I realized the only answer left to me was economic–when we talk about about one holiday being celebrated early that usually means what Wal-mart and the malls look like. Light displays and Christmas music begin a week and a half before Thanksgiving while Wal-mart begin their sales blitz about the same time as Halloween. A problem the stores face is that there is really only one thing  the stores can sell around the Thanksgiving theme–food! The conclusion one must arrive at is that our celebrations have little to do with the content and meaning of the holiday–little to do resurrection and new life, children and candy, or Saviors and giving–it has to with how much profit can actually be made. And some would think me cynical–wouldn’t they?

Pastor Jeff

I have made it clear in the past that I find reading bumper stickers to be quite enlightening and many times very humorous. Today as I was traveling down the interstate I came upon one of those cars that was covered (a little bit of an exaggeration) in the back with adhesive messages. Since we were traveling at highway speeds I was unable to read all of them–however the two that I did read presented quite the paradox. The first one proudly proclaimed, “My son is a U.S. Marine.” The second exclaimed a sentiment that did not seem consistent with the son’s participation in the Armed Forces–it simply said, “Question Authority.” I’ll let you figure it out.

Pastor Jeff

If we were play a word association game and I said Thanksgiving the litany of responses would include football, turkey (along with whatever happens to be the favorite food)  parades, family, vacation, etc. This may be unfair to suggest–but if a group were unwarned, how far down the list do you think “giving thanks” would show up? I don’t think it is too far removed from reality to say that for the majority of homes in which this holiday will be celebrated other than the requisite “blessing” at the beginning of the meal (many, of course, will not have that), the opportunity to voice gratitude will be absent. With that in mind I would like to remind you of two rather famous statements.

#1–This one comes from the Bible–“When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.” (Deuteronomy 8: 10)

#2–This is the “Thanksgiving Proclamation” of President Lincoln on October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Pastor Jeff

Historical Revisionism is quite the evocative word these days. Whether that is positive or not depends on which side of the divide you happen to stand. If you feel the revisionism is necessary and long overdue then you are simply glad that the truth is finally being told. If you come from the perspective that the current re-writing of history is nothing more than an injection of modern day skepticism into the debate then you are probably not as thrilled. Even though I would never question a historian’s motives, isn’t it interesting that the new information never has God being more prevalent (unless in a more sinister way), the United States looking more honorable, or the “hero” of the story being of even more sterling character than we had originally thought. But then I digress. Even though there are numerous examples of this type of presentation, the one that we consider annually at this time is Thanksgiving Day.

The current version of the narrative does at least include the overarching theme of thankfulness–but that attitude seems to be directed to the Native Americans and how they helped bring about the harvest. Of course, as part of this discussion we are usually reminded either that we were the first illegal immigrants or how abysmally we treated the original inhabitants. If this thankfulness is not directed to the Native Americans guests/hosts then it is simply offered in a vacuum–they were not necessarily thankful to anyone–they were just thankful. Isn’t it fascinating that something as object oriented as being thankful can be so undirected?

We do not need to recount either the older or the revised version of the story–you can probably recall your elementary school play (of years gone by)–for the early error-ridden tale–or have your child tell you the way he/she is being taught the story this year–for the modern corrected narrative. If you would rather you could always go to the internet and see the many sites that describe how clearly out of touch our history has been for the last few centuries. There is a rather ineffective way to approach this–I could give a quote describing the religious nature of the whole affair–and you could then counter with a quote showing how secular the whole event was. Maybe a clearer way of approaching it is to consider the blatantly overt religiosity of this community of English Puritans–I would expect that is a reality which would be difficult to argue against. My contention is that it is beyond any honest historical critique to imagine that this group’s thankfulness would not be solely to God, for the blessings of God, in the name of God, at the house of God, with prayers of Thanksgiving being led by the man of God. But that is not very politically correct, is it?

Pastor Jeff

I was thinking of two quotes today which, in my mind, rather conflict with one another. The first one that is seen in television and print advertising and even on signs in some malls–”It’s all about you.” This is indicative of our entitlement society. A culture that thinks and lives out this concept that we deserve this and that and everything else. I have never quite understood what makes us think we deserve anything–is it because we were born–is it because we live in the United States of America (as if that is not gift enough)–is it because we really are that special?

The second quote takes us in a completely different direction. In his book Can Man Live Without God?, Ravi Zacharias quotes British author G.K. Chesterton: “If my children wake up on Christmas morning and have somebody to thank for putting candy in their stocking, have I no one to thank for putting two feet in mine?” So I wonder–what do we have to be thankful for? If we stopped for a moment and actually began to reflect on that question I wonder how long that list would very quickly become.

Around this time of year a lot of churches (and other organizations) get involved in a program developed by Samaritan’s Purse know as Operation Christmas Child. If you are not familiar with the program it goes something like this. You take a basic shoebox and pack it with all kinds of toys, trinkets, candy, toiletries, etc., and give it to one of the distribution centers. Last year approximately 7 million of these shoe boxes were delivered to children all over the world–some to some pretty remote places. Why do I mention that? The things that are being sent are little things that most of us give little thought to but these children are thrilled beyond description. Maybe they can teach us something about gratitude.

As we approach the celebration of Thanksgiving maybe we can turn some of our normal thinking on its head–is it possible that it is not “do I have what I deserve” but instead, “do I deserve what I have?”

Pastor Jeff