Christ for the World
There’s an old saying, a bumper sticker phrase that I recall from the 70’s or 80’s. It may be older than that. It goes, “Think globally, act locally.” I have not heard it said that way for a long time and I wonder if younger generations have heard it. In any case, it is very much present in our thinking. We understand more than ever that we are part of a very inter-connected world.
We see it in the life of our church. It’s as simple as our recycling bins, which are a small way we attempt to help the ecology. We have an annual golf tournament to support our sister church in Santa Maria, Honduras. We support missionaries in Southeast Asia and Sao Paolo Brazil. This past year Bishop Patrick Augustine visited and we supported his work for the Diocese of Bor, Sudan.
If you’re keeping score, and I am, that means Church of the Good Shepherd in beautiful Lake Wales, Florida, thinks globally and acts locally to support mission and ministry on four continents. That’s you. That’s all of us. We may think that has grown out of our ever-developing technologies in communication and transportation. That sure has a lot to do with it. I’m sure a lot more does, too.
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The Word
It has been said by many that these first 18 verses of John’s gospel are so weighty that it’s as though they are his gospel and the rest it is commentary, more like an appendix. We still need the passion and resurrection, but this does tell us who Jesus is. In order to grasp the cosmic importance of these first 18 verses of John’s Gospel, it will be helpful to consider them in their context.
We don’t have a date stamp for John’s Gospel, but most scholars affirm it was written in the late first century, around 90 AD. The historic and textual evidence points strongly to it having been written by the Apostle John – who, with Peter and James, was one of the three closest to Jesus.
Unlike the rest of the 12 Disciples, John did not die an untimely death. He lived to a ripe old age, long enough to reflect on all he heard Jesus say and do, and how it shaped everything over 60 years or so. Surely John was aware of the other three Gospels and wrote his to fill in some important stories and perspectives missing from Matthew, Mark and Luke.
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Myth Became Fact
What is your favorite Christmas movie or show? One of my favorites is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the old stop-action one starring Burl Ives as the snowman who narrates the story. I love the characters: Yukon Cornelius, the prospector looking for silver and gold, the Island of Misfit Toys, and my favorite, the Bumble. (Bumbles bounce!) I love the music.
And I love the story. Rudolph and Hermy, the elf who wants to be a dentist, are outcasts who wind up not only proving themselves but bringing everyone to appreciate each other and remind everyone of what they call “the true meaning of Christmas,” which is apparently something like giving and compassion.
That is, of course, NOT the true meaning of Christmas. If that were true, it would be called something like Givingmas or Compassionmas. (The true meaning of Christmas is the wonder-full joy of God sending his only son to redeem the world from sin and death.)
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