An Obituary to Time

Today we gather to mourn the passing of Time.  He was a dear friend to us all a dear friend who all of us knew, even if only for a brief moment.

Most of us met him when we were just babies.  Regrettably, in our youth we took him for granted, ignoring his ever-present solemn warning that we were, in fact mortal.  As we grew older, he began to slip away, growing more distant day by day.  We soon realized the folly of our ways, and finally learned to truly treasure our relationship with him.  And in return, he bestowed on us crowns of silver.

Although there were times that we lost touch with him, we knew he was always there for us.
He was an elusive one, always seeming to slip just out of reach.  While we often lost track of his whereabouts, if we searched hard enough, we could always find him. He was quiet and unassuming, and few truly noticed when he came and went.  But despite his modest manner, he had surprising strength.  He lived a full life, accomplishing more that we ever gave him credit for.

In our lives, his gentle touch brought healing to some of our deepest wounds.  Even when we treated him like a slave that served us, or a commodity that we owned, he was quick to forgive and instead took the time to teach us the value of patience.  He was an excellent teacher who masterfully unfurled the mysteries of life.  And he always had good advice, if you were willing to wait for it.  He had the secret to every good recipe.  His skill in our gardens brought the most beautiful flowers and the tastiest fruits and vegetables.  He was a powerful motivator, driving us towards progress with appointments and deadlines, and making sure that all that we reached our goals.

But the hands that touched our lives also reached out to make a lasting impact on our world.  He moved mountains and dried oceans.  He carved canyons and changed the course of rivers.  And below the ground, he worked meticulously to craft gold, silver, diamonds—precious treasures beyond price.  He raised up civilizations, and brought down empires.  He overthrew tyrants, and raised up great heroes.  He made the famous fade into oblivion, and raised up new stars.  He lead expeditions of discovery and drove innovation.  He brought us to the depths of the sea and the far reaches of space.

In his own timing, he brought balance between chaos and order, war and peace, day and night, light and dark.  He was the author of history, weaving a common thread throughout, making sure that ultimately there was nothing new under the sun.  His story is one we can learn much from.

We miss Time dearly, knowing nothing can bring him back or replace our loss.  As we move on, let us cherish our memories with him and celebrate his life, knowing that it was not wasted.

Tunesday: “All Glory Be to Christ” – Kings Kaleidoscope

Welcome to the last ‪#Tunesday of the year 2015!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.
Christmas, however is definitively past us, and we’re now in that awkward liminal part of the “holiday season,” the weird half-breath in the middle of “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.”  Technically, we’re still within the range of the twelve days of Christmas, which range from the twenty-fifth of December to the fifth of January.

Anyhow, the quintessential song for this time of year, ending the old year and beginning a new one, is a good ol’ traditional tune called  “Aud Lang Syne.”  While it is a good celebratory tune to ring in the new year, it only goes so far.  But earlier this year, I stumbled upon this gem, “All Glory Be to Christ” off Kings Kaleidoscope’s Christmas album, Joy Has Dawned.  It takes the traditional melody of “Aud Lang Syne” and infuses it with a more meaningful, more lasting sentiment for the new year.  It’s an admission of the fleeting nature of life, and yet resolves to live every moment all for the glory of Christ, the King.  And with the same joy with which we celebrate the good things in store for the new year, it celebrates who Jesus is, and anticipates the day when He truly does make all things new.

And it is with this resolve that I hope to enter the new year, that in my life, all glory would be to Christ.

Tunesday: “All I Want For Christmas Is A Goat”

Happy ‪#Tunesday!

Are you tired of all the baaaaaaaaaaaaaad  Christmas music circling these days?  Do you miss that classic manger sound?
I’ve found the perfect Christmas album for you, the Christmas album to bleat them all.  It’s the best Christmas album ever—one could even call it the Greatest Of All Time.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you All I Want For Christmas Is A Goat!

Essentially, this organization called ActionAid created a delightful album of goats singing your favorite Christmas carols.  Sure it sounds like screaming half the time, but if you listen deeply, the beauty of the goat vocals will warm your heart and rouse you out of any bah humbugginess—you might even find yourself singing along with them, like I am.  This is one of my favorite Christmas albums this year, no kidding.

More profound than the music of goats, is the heart of what this organization, ActionAid is doing.  When I happened upon this album on RELEVANT Magazine‘s website, I learned that ActionAid created this album with the purpose of raising awareness for their anti-poverty programs, which work to “further human rights and defeat poverty for all,” as their website proclaims.

What a great vision for Christmas—and for the rest of the year.  What if we followed the footsteps of Jesus, who came to earth to give humanity what we most deeply needed without any possibility of receiving anything of value back?  What if we, instead of giving a bunch of useless shtuff to our family and friends, took the time at Christmas to meet the needs of those who could never return the favor?  What if the best way to worship the Baby King is to “to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:7).  What if in His name, all oppression can truly cease this Christmas?

Keeping with the goat theme, a super awesome way to respond is by partnering with a charity like World Vision, and literally give a family in need a goat, which will provide nutritious milk and possibly a source of income.  Through World Vision you can also buy other livestock for families, or even sponsor a child.  Really cool stuff.
But whether it’s ending poverty through World Vision or ActionAid or battling human trafficking through International Justice Mission, or even supporting local missionaries or soup kitchens or shelters, give.
Give as Jesus did.

Advent

Let’s be honest, 2015 has been kind of a horrific year.  We’ve had the Ashley Madison leak, more mass shootings than days in this year, racism and violence in Ferguson and Charleston and Mizzou, endless stories of police brutality, and terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo and Paris itself.  On a more personal level, tragedy struck close to home, with a fatal car accident claiming the life of one of my fellow student leaders of my college ministry.

It was into this void of broken relationships, racial injustice, and senseless violence that I stared, while I struggled to get into the spirit of the Christmas season.  Even as I cranked up the Christmas music after Thanksgiving, it still somehow all felt off to me.  And as I began to work on my forty-plus Christmas cards, writing warm seasonal wishes for delicious food and good times with family and friends all felt highly insincere as I considered the plight of the Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the increasingly Islamophobic and inhospitable United States, or the pain of each family that will be missing a loved one during this holiday season.  The cheer of the holidays that I heard on the radio or saw flash across my television screen just seemed so out of place in the midst of all the madness.

But Jesus.

At Christmas we can celebrate because we have a God who is not apathetic to our suffering, but instead chose to descend into our madness, taking upon himself the experience of humanity, even the vulnerability of baby.  The Prince of Peace chose to come and be Emmanuel, “God with us,” so He could deliver us from the brokenness that manifests itself so clearly in our world.  Only His presence is there fullness of joy, a joy deeper than the advertised giddiness of the commercially constructed holidays.

Which brings us to the season of Advent.  What is Advent, you ask?
Advent is a season of expectation and preparation for Christmas in the liturgical calendar, i.e. it’s a long-established tradition of the church.  In some ways, I find Advent more profound than the Christmas that is so often obscured by images of decorated pine trees and jolly men in red suits.  Through Advent we experience the waiting for Jesus in the in-between, where we have the hope and the promise, but not yet the fulfillment.  And in this life so tainted by sin and death, we have to hold on to the hope that Jesus brings us, the hope that He will come again and restore all things.   Advent is a time in which we await the second coming of Jesus as we prepare to celebrate the miracle of His first coming as a baby in a manger.   The beauty of Advent is that it doesn’t just gloss over the pain and suffering of this life with a coat of fake smiles, but acknowledges it, and in that darkness, shines the Light of the World.

May your Christmas be full of all the Hope and Faith and Joy and Love that Christ and only Christ can bring.
And with that, I’d like to leave you with a song:

“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” has recently become one of my favorite Christmas hymns.  I was surprised that I had never heard this song before last year, despite spending a majority of my Christmases in church.  I love it because it captures the joy and the hope of the Savior’s long-awaited arrival.  Enjoy!