Words

We love a good speech. John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople in 407, was called the "Golden Mouth" because of his excellent sermons. People who came to hear him speak were advised to bring no money because they would become so intent on his words that they didn’t notice the pick-pockets.

Today, a pastor with excellent oratory skills can sometimes form a mega-church or gain a large following.

We join churches, follow leaders, vote for politicians based on their ability to woo our ear.

A writer long ago lamented the problem of golden speech. He saw no people loyal to God but rather unfaithful ones who lied, flattered and deceived - trusting their own words over any other.
"They say, 'Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own—who can be our master?'" (Ps 12:2)

There's power in our words. James called the tongue a fire that no man can tame.

And there should be power because God breathed his own life into us. We know the power of God's word. We know, from John, that the Word was in the beginning and it was with God and it was God. (John 1:1)

Our psalmist had harsh words: "May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully." (Ps 12:3)

But he offered words of hope as well. God's words, he reminded us, are pure words - like silver refined in a furnace.

We live today in a cacophony of words, blasted by speeches and enticements to buy, to go, to follow.

God listens to the groans of the afflicted and poor rather than magnificent oratory.

What am I listening to?

Thinning the beets

Still rubbing the sleep from our eyes, we leaned on our garden hoes in the early morning cool as Dad gave his annual description of how to thin the crop. Dad was a sugar beet farmer and, in those days, the technology didn’t yet place each little beet seed at the proper distance from the others.

So they had to be thinned.

“It might be hard to take out a healthy plant,” he told us, “but if it’s right beside another plant, neither one will grow well. They’ll both steal from the other and we won’t get much from either.”

So we learned to pluck a plant when it crowded in on another. We pulled healthy plants to make room for less hearty ones, because the lessor one was in the right place to grow well. And, given the room to get sunlight and water, those usually caught up quickly.

We had to anticipate how large that sugar beet would one day become, and leave room for that growth.

I was thinking about the same thing yesterday as I thinned some carrots in my garden.

“You thinned the carrots??” my daughter said. “I like carrots.”

“That’s why I did it. Those carrots were like grass, too thick to grow very large,” I told her.

But really, yesterday, I was thinking about priorities. I have been guilty in my life of being unwilling to thin my crop. I allowed activities and interests to crowd in on me, to steal away time and resources.

The activities often looked healthy and good.

But what I’m trying to learn is, like crops that need thinned, too many activities keep any from becoming mature.

You don’t get a good crop from carrot grass.

But seek first the kingdom of God

Matt 6:33

The American Dream

King Hezekiah was an ancient ruler who trusted God for an amazing victory in the face of overwhelming defeat. God protected him in miraculous ways, including extending his life for 15 years when he faced certain death. Hezekiah had prayed and God had responded generously.

But at the end of his life, an odd thing happened. The king of Babylon came to visit and Hezekiah showed him all the wealth of the treasury. "He showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them." 2 Kings 20:13.

I'm kind of shocked at Hezekiah's lack of wisdom. It's like showing raw meat to a guard dog, expecting him to sit quietly and not go for the goodies.

The prophet Isaiah then comes to Hezekiah with a warning: future generations would be carted off to Babylon, captured and exiled.

Hezekiah thanks Isaiah for the prophecy, "The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good."

But here's what he thought: "Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?" (2 Kings 20:19). Hezekiah wasn't overly concerned about the future as long as things were good in his days.

The prophecy came true, by the way. The nation ruled by Hezekiah was humiliated by Babylon, taken into exile and dominated.

Let me shift to America now.

When you think about the American Dream, what comes to mind? For some, it's the cliche of a chicken in every pot and a car (or two or three) in every garage. In other words, some dream of prosperity and comfort.

In this election year, maybe even more than in the last few, we face decisions that will affect the path of the American Dream. (As my daughter likes to say, when you come to a fork in the road, take it.) We have a fork in the road, two distinct philosophies and goals.

My friend Maxine has begun a series on the American Dream. She's asked for comments about your idea of the American Dream.

So am I. What do you dream for America - for your children and grandchildren, for future generations as well as for yourself? For myself, I don't want to show off the riches in my storehouse while ignoring what's ahead.

So what's your dream?

After Christmas

Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to evaluate your gift-giving. (Don’t tell me you don’t want to. Just do it.)

Do you feel stress over the perfect gift? Are you a “grab-whatever’s-left-on-Christmas-Eve” sort of buyer? Maybe you’re ready to give it all up for a day helping at the Rescue Mission or a week on the ski slopes.

Here’s a quiz for you:

Before Christmas, I

• -ordered frankincense and myrrh from the Holy Land to give to all my special people, including the pizza delivery guy.
• -took a bow-making seminar at the Hallmark store downtown to complete my gift-wrapping certificate.
• -pulled the gifts I purchased last December 26, wrapped them in paper purchased last December 26, and found them all perfect for my recipients.
• -couldn’t find the one gift I bought last year and decided to give out a book to everybody. They all looked alike because I didn’t know how to wrap a book in 14 different ways for 14 different recipients.
• 
  

On Christmas Eve, I

• -brought out the boxes of decorated cookies that I had been crafting since early December.
• -made my special punch to accompany the tradition-laden evening of candlelight service, artichoke appetizers and slender candles fitted into Grandma’s silver candelabra.
• -organized a caroling team to visit the neighborhood, nursing home, and shut-ins.
• -pulled the foil off the plate of cookies Grandma sent over, heated some water on the stove, and grabbed my camera.

After Christmas, I

• -alphabetized my gift-giving list and filed all the Christmas card addresses.
• -purchased a new tote for the balls on the Christmas tree, reminiscing about the memories of each as I tenderly put each ball away.
• -put a counter on my blog so I’d know how many days I had left to prepare for next Christmas.
• -went to Walmart to buy some cheap wrapping paper, loading it into the one plastic tote that I can find in the attic.

OK, here are the results. If you selected the first, second or third responses above, you are the Christmas version of Martha Stewart. If you selected number 4, you are me.

This was the year I decided not to abandon Christmas but to marinate it with people and relationships. I didn’t buy a Jesus action figure riding a motorcycle and I didn’t buy any crystal angels either.

I didn’t even put on a “Jesus is the Reason” pin. But I spent time talking with my daughters and helping my husband. I didn’t even bake Christmas cookies this year although I helped my son decorate a gingerbread house.

Jesus came to us in the flesh and I want to be the skin of Jesus to others. Even at the Christmas season!