Tomorrow American voters in twenty-four states have the privilege of voting in their primary elections. I have made my choice of candidate, as I am hoping you have. Please exercise your right, raise your voice, cast your vote. Together we can do great things.
Blessings on you all.
Some thoughts flitting about as I really should be practicing...
1. How wise were those Wise Men? According to Matthew, they came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage. When King Herod heard this, he was frightened...(NRSV). Other translations use troubled or perturbed. My French Bible uses ému, which means overwhelmed with emotion. How would he not be? Wasn't he king of the Jews?
So It occurs to me that the wise men were very observant of the heavens, but oblivious to human behavior. They went to the royal city to ask "where's the child who will is the real king?"; this might be like saying to your wife, "I just met the most fascinating woman", when you don't mean her. There are things one might think twice about saying.
Wise, OK. Smart? Perhaps not so very.
2. Herod wasn't quite up on his reading of prophecy - other things to do - and sent for his own chief priests and scribes to find out where the Messiah was to be born. I wonder - these priests seem to have been neglecting to remind Herod of those prophecies. He had to send for them to ask. The account doesn't say that they withdrew to research the literature. No, they apparently answered immediately, telling him "Bethlehem", and quoting the relevant writings. So they knew. And Bethlehem is not far from Jerusalem, only about five miles. An easy walk, even carrying weapons...
Must practice songs, must practice.
1. There are still two weeks left of Advent, two weeks until Christmas Eve, two weeks before Christmas songs are actually à propos. Please can't we wait? St. Jude, where are you? I may have a lost cause here.
All this holy time of Advent can give one time to quietly consider what it means to have a savior, born as one of us, come to save, to heal, to illuminate, to energize us, kick us lovingly into action, and to bind us all together as children of God. Perhaps you are ready for the Lord to be born. I need time. Oh boy do I need time, very serious prayer time. The gentle Jesus meek and mild is the most powerful force for change that I have ever encountered, and I need to get ready to - again! - have everything change. Everything. Every single thing.
2. I grew up on Christmas music, on Fred Waring's recordings that featured my grandfather's glorious baritone, and Robert Shaw's exquisite choral work. I love them. I do not have a bah! humbug! bone in my body. But raised as I was in a Reformed tradition, I spent my childhood being pounded from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve with "Christ is born" songs, when he wasn't yet, so what was Advent? and then it was Christmas Day and by Christmas afternoon, poof! it was over. What happened to the other 12 days? What do you mean, just a song?
3. Lent leads to joy, but it passes through great pain. Advent, too, moves soberly, but straight to joy.
“The world is not into hearing,” said Frank Gatson Jr., a choreographer for singers including Usher and Beyoncé. Referring to the recent “Beyoncé: B’day Anthology Video Album,” on which he worked, he added, “If she does it the right way, people won’t say, ‘Have you heard Beyoncé’s new music?,’ but ‘Have you seen the new Beyoncé?’ ”
by Claudia La Rocca, New York Times, September 5, 2007
I knew that. But, surprise! It is liberating in a way that I will try to get down to writing about soon. Stay tuned.
