Getting out of "The Christmas Spirit"

I believe I have been into what we call “The Christmas Spirit” more in 2012 than recent years. I don't know why, but I have.

I haven't spent more money on presents this year, but I do know that I have just been more in tune with the story of the birth of Jesus Christ than in the past. I have also felt a little more generous, for some reason.

I do know that I had been listening to some Christmas music – Joy to the World is my favorite – since before Thanksgiving. I can never remember doing that.

There are some limits, of course. Earlier this week, I was in the doctor's office for my annual physical when the nurse asked where I had done my shopping. My quick answer was, “Online.” The implication is that I avoided the mobs and traffic jams at the mall.

And when gas went up 35 cents a gallon in one day, it was enough to make me cry, “Bah, Humbug!”

It makes me wonder, “What really is the Christmas spirit?” On top of that, “Do we really need it?”

Whoa! I am sure some would think I have lost my mind when I ask if we really need “The Christmas Spirit,” but just keep reading.

In our society today, the Christmas season has come to mean two things: Expanded consumerism and seasonal awareness of those who are less fortunate.

Christians and churches are far from immune to these aspects of the world's understanding of Christmas. In fact, I am sometimes amazed at how deeply it is ingrained in those who claim to be different from the world around them.

Over the last few years, it has become stylish in Christian circles to utter the words, “I can't wait to see what God has in store next.”

They might take different forms, but the words are a reasonable facsimile of that sentence, conveying the thought: “I can't wait to see what is in it for me (or us.)”

To be fair, I do believe some share those thoughts without thinking of the connotation. At least I hope so. I would like to think many utter those thoughts with the idea of “I am expecting to enjoy" or “I am looking to be uplifted or lift someone else up.” Perhaps the words are intended to reflect a desire for the “experience” of worship.

Yet, I often wonder if this is a product of our consumerism. Really, what more does God need to have in store for us? He has already given his son for our salvation. The basis of the Christian faith is on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Do we need more?

By saying this, I am not saying we should not look for blessings. They are everywhere and often found when we are least expecting them. Nor am I saying that worship should be a cold, dull and sullen affair. Just as a sports fan can get excited about what his team does, a Christian has even more reason to be joyous. The salvation that we have through Jesus is infinitely greater than anything our favorite team can give and we should be excited.

It reminds me of the old preacher I once heard say he wished he could get in the pulpit and yell, “Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar. All for Jesus, stand up and holler.”

The key is who is the most important? Do we direct our worship and the way we carry our lives, which the book of Romans tells us is our worship, to God or is it for our “experience?” Are our lives “for Jesus” or “for us?”

Are we really focusing on being disciples of Jesus Christ or are we looking for the latest religious fad that makes us feel good, then move on when something else tickles our fancy?

Have we made Christianity religious version of looking for a bargain on Black Friday?

We also need to get rid of The Christmas Spirit in how we view those who are less fortunate.

Christmas is a time when we DO think about giving. Even those who have no desire to be involved in organized faith often refer to the Christmas season as “a time of giving.”

Churches often put together food baskets, gather clothing or have toy drives at Christmas time. Other organizations do many of the same things. These are wonderful opportunities to minister to people at a time when having material needs is magnified. When someone is unable to share in our traditions of Christmas because of a sickness, injury, a loss of a job, or many other reasons, it seems to be a double blow.

There are many people around the world who live in poverty and would welcome any gesture of good will. My family prepared several boxes for Operation Christmas Child, a wonderful outreach of Samaritan's Purse, an organization headed by Franklin Graham. That is just one of the many good opportunities to give just a small amount to reach others in another country.

But what about people who have needs in March, May or August? Do we meet needs then too? Are we as cognizant then?

There are many good organizations, such as World Vision, Compassion International and Save the Children, to name a few, where we can contribute.

Sadly, however, we often overlook those with needs in our own back yards. In our relative affluence, I am as guilty of that as anyone.

The church I attend is one of many that sponsors a “No Sale Yard Sale” designed to reach out to those in the community by simply giving clothes away. Another church I attended when I was living elsewhere had a creative ministry of people working on cars as a ministry to those who cannot afford repairs. The examples are countless.

However, are we as cognizant of people with needs in July as we are in December? Do we really help others in our every day lives, not waiting for a church or organization to help when we can reach out on our own?

If we only reach out during the Christmas season, then we need to expand that Christmas spirit to a 12-month proposition.

Obviously, many people faithfully offer heartfelt worship and reach out to others. Many of their efforts go unnoticed here on earth, but we know that the One who matters notices.

But I fear the secularization of our society has led to a different gospel than the one Jesus charged us with.

Peace when asking "Why?"

Heinous. Vicious. Atrocious.

None of those adjectives could come close to describing the murder of 20 defenseless first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Incomprehensible.

We simply can't fathom how someone could be so sick, so deranged to force his way into an elementary school, the home of bright eyes, toothless smiles and looks of wonder.

Why?

Just why?

How could anyone methodically aim a gun at such innocence and pull a trigger? Not just once, but, according to reports, multiple times.

For that matter, how could anyone purposely take the life of anyone, any age?

We are searching for answers but will find that the answers simply are not there. We can only assume that the young man who committed one of the most dastardly crimes in our nation's history was deranged. We can only explain that he suffered from mental illness and demons that few could understand.

What else can we do?

When the depths of evil became apparent Friday, it was as if someone had kicked us in the stomach. We asked ourselves, “What in the world has happened to common decency?” Or, “Has good left our world?”

I wanted to write Friday. I am glad I did not. I was angry. Angry at many things, but mostly angry because there are no explanations.

I am glad I waited. Less than nine hours after seeing the first report of the shooting pop up on my iPhone, I was privileged to attend the Gaither Christmas Homecoming concert at the Bank of Kentucky Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.

Early in the evening, Bill Gaither, one of the greatest Christian song writers ever, joined singer Charlotte Ritchie on stage, then led a crowd of nearly 10,000 people in prayer for Newtown.

Then, we worshiped.

Yes, the people on the stage were gifted musicians and singers. Some have had success in fields other than gospel music. Yet, the program was one of worship and a message of hope.

How we need that hope today!

Immediately after the news of the shootings the debate about what to do got even stronger. On one hand, those who support stronger gun-control laws immediately called on those in power to act. Obviously, they point out, stronger gun-control would have prevented such a tragedy.

I believe those people really are well-meaning. Most of them truly believe the world would be safer with stronger regulations.

But they are incredibly naïve. That assumes that those who commit crimes are going to get guns legally, if they are still available on the market, or will not get them if guns are not available. The reality is that if someone is determined to commit a crime, he will find a way to get a weapon.

Gun control is just a band-aid.

On the other hand, I have seen many calls for armed law enforcement or allowing people with Concealed Carry Deadly Weapons permits to be at school all the time. The idea, of course, is if someone enters a school to commit a crime, there is at least a fighting chance to stop it quickly. This might have some teeth to it, but it is just a band-aid as well. Bigger perhaps, but still a band-aid.

What if the shooter takes out the officer first? And do we really want our schools to be armed camps?

Others have called for other measures, such as metal detectors, even more lockdowns and the like.

Just more band-aids.

I am not downplaying security measures in any way. Unfortunately, we live in a time that calls for utmost vigilance.

The problem, however, is much deeper than how we are going to protect ourselves from violence.

There is evil in the world. There has been ever since the Garden of Eden and will be until the end of the world. However, it sure seems like we are seeing much more of it today.

I believe the answer is found in Jesus Christ.

The question has been asked so many times why God has allowed so many unbelievable crimes to happen in recent years. My answer is that when we push God out of society, this is what happens. When we thumb our nose at Him, evil reigns.

Think about it.

We have allowed God to be taken out of schools. When I attended elementary school from 1964-1970, we openly talked about God. We prayed. Teachers read the Bible.

The problems we had? Cutting line, chewing gum or something of that sort.

And, looking back now, one of my favorite memories of childhood is that of my aunt, the principal of the school, taking a carload of her students to church on Sunday morning. She simply asked them to go.

Now, it seems like educators doing the same would be facing a lawsuit.

More than the schools, however, we have pushed God out of society. We have glorified sin and called it by many other names. We buy our kids video games that depict people taking out other people. We see box office success with gore and the fantasy of, again, taking someone's life.

And we wonder why?

We hurt with the people in Connecticut. Surely many of the parents have presents under their Christmas trees that will never be unwrapped. Santa Claus might by-pass some of those houses where the victims lived.

It's Christmas, a time of joy that has been stolen from many people.

Yet, coming up on Christmas, it is important to remember the one whose birth we celebrate is called the “Prince of Peace.”

It is a peace that can only be found in our hearts, for as long as there is evil in the world, there will be stories like Sandy Hook or Columbine or Virginia Tech or Heath.

Jesus said his kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36) meaning it dwells in his people. Hearts belonging to God have true peace that does not and cannot exist in a world where evil is rampant.

That kind of peace is not just a band-aid.

It is the real cure for what ails the world.

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will to men.”

Costas is one of the best, but wrong this time

(NOTE: This appeared in the Dec. 5, 2012 edition of The Anderson News. I am reposting here. JH)

An interview with Bob Costas is still on my bucket list.

His insight into the good – and bad – of baseball is amazing. If you don't believe me, try to find a copy of his book, Fair Ball, talking about many of the ills of the game around the turn of the century. When put in that context, and seeing where it has headed since then is nothing short of amazing.

I also would love to talk with Costas about his days, fresh out of Syracuse,  as the voice of the Spirits of St. Louis in the ABA. His experiences calling games for a team that included Marvin Barnes and Fly Williams, recounted in Terry Pluto's “Loose Balls,” can only be termed priceless.

Costas is a broadcasters' broadcaster, one of the best around. He has been for many years and will be until he unplugs his microphone.

But he was wrong Sunday night. Very wrong.

I will have to admit, I didn't catch everything Costas said about the death of Kansas City Chiefs' player Jovan Belcher the day before. I had been watching the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, but when Costas came on for his halftime segment, I was long gone from the room. I plopped back down in my chair just in time to hear Costas say if Belcher had not had a gun, he and his girlfriend would still be alive today.

Say what?

That if Belcher had not had a gun, he would not have killed his girlfriend or taken his own life?
Google informed me that is exactly what Costas said.

Obviously, Costas has a right to his opinion and, as a commentator, it is his job to elicit a response. In referencing the final few flawed paragraphs of a column by Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports, Costas called down the wrath of the National Rifle Association and just about every person that treasures his right to own a gun.

Let it be said that I am not a gun enthusiast and certainly don't agree with everything the NRA stands for. I don't have a gun in my house. At this time, I see little reason to have one and I have not been hunting in over 30 years. It's just not my cup of tea.

I don't see a problem with a reasonable waiting period for background checks as a prerequisite for gun ownership and can't see any need for someone not in the military or law enforcement to own a weapon designed mainly for killing other human beings.

But nothing should compel the government to take away the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms as granted by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. There are plenty of legitimate sporting and self-defense reasons to purchase many different varieties of firearms.

Costas, and those who would hold his view, apparently believe if you take handguns away, then it would end crimes such as this. They are certainly well-meaning, but wrongly assume that taking away legal ownership of an inanimate object will solve the problem of violence.

As if someone who is going to commit a crime really cares whether he gets his gun legally?

Costas’ thinking assumes the gun is the only way to commit the crime. And that is simply wrong.
What if Belcher, or any person who has used a firearm in committing a crime, had pulled out a Louisville Slugger to beat the mother of his child instead? Does that mean we shut down Hillerich and Bradsby?

Of course not.

What if someone uses a pillow to suffocate another? Do we ban them too? Do we all find another form of headrest?

Or if someone takes his hands to choke or beat someone, does that mean we cut everyone's hands off?

Do we take away the right to drive because some drive too fast, thereby taking lives, intentionally or recklessly?

Absurd? Absolutely. But they are, in essence, the very same arguments given about taking away a right guaranteed by the Constitution.

An old gun-enthusiast saying says “Guns don't kill people. People do.”

Simple, yet to the point. The inanimate object, whether it is a gun, a knife or a baseball bat, will only do what the person in control of it wants.

It is all about responsibility, safety and prudence.

Only when our society recognizes that people, not the things people use, cause the problems, will there ever be any progress in stopping tragedies like the one in Kansas City.

Getting past election blues, Christians can take moment to shine by practicing what we preach

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(Note: This column appeared in the Nov. 21 edition of The Anderson News. Reposting here as part of my ministry.  JH)

It has taken a while, but I think I am finally getting over the results of Election 2012.

That doesn’t take the sting away, though.

Yes, I voted for Mitt Romney. Given the choices we had, I would do it again. And again.

I strongly believe President Obama’s policies have added to what was already an exploding national debt (over $50,000 per person and counting, last time I checked) and are leading our great country more and more toward socialism, if we are not already there.

Beyond that, many of the policies of the past four years are also very much at odds with my deeply held evangelical Christian values and faith. I don’t like it, and from the looks of Anderson County’s election returns, over 61 percent of the local voters don’t either.

Obviously, about 60 million people nationwide disagree so President Obama will be in office another four years.

Two weeks ago, as it became apparent that Romney was not going to win Ohio and therefore would not have enough electoral votes to win the presidency, I went from literally shedding tears to being angry at the direction our country had chosen.

I didn’t sleep well.

The next day, one of my professors from what is now Mid-Atlantic Christian University posted a picture on Facebook saying, “Be calm and be conservative.”

To someone who thinks a likeness of Ronald Reagan should be on Mount Rushmore, the second part isn’t hard. That first part? The thing about being calm? Let’s just say I am a work in progress.

As a Christian, I am not called upon to always like what is going on. As it is, I am appalled at the idea of policies that promote abortion, which is nothing more than taking the life of a helpless baby, usually done as a matter of convenience.

The President has also endorsed gay marriage, a lifestyle that the Bible clearly condemns. (Romans 1, I Corinthians 6 are among several passages dealing with the practice.)

The idea that Colorado and Washington state passed measures that legalized the recreational use of marijuana last week is almost incomprehensible to someone who, growing up, knew that every Sunday, I would be sitting on that second pew, front left, at Corinth Christian Church.

But, even though many evangelicals strongly disagree with the country’s direction, we are called upon love people as they are and to respect the government in Romans 13.

I will interject that some of my more liberal friends like to point out that Jesus also called us to care for the sick and disadvantaged. You won’t get any argument on that point here. We will disagree if that is most effectively done by the government or by people of faith. For the time being, though, we will just have to agree that it is our responsibility, but civilly disagree on the better method of providing that help. That is another debate for another day.

Even before the election, there was little doubt that our nation is sharply divided. Barack Obama prevailed, but he is not the final answer. Mitt Romney would not have been either, for that matter.

Our problems are much deeper than how much money one has or how much the government can take away. They are spiritual in nature and now is the time for conservative Christians to shine by simply practicing what we preach.

We are told to pray for our leaders. Jeremiah 29:7 instructs the Old Testament Jews to pray for the peace and prosperity of the country in which they live. Those people were in captivity – something we are not – when given that directive. Just think about that for a while.

In the New Testament, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that his people are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” Over time, salt has had many different uses, but all of them to act as an agent of good. Even just a small amount of light can make all the difference in darkness, which is how the Bible often refers to a sinful society.

In our society, that can take many forms. Christians should obviously help those less fortunate, as Scripture says many times. They should also stand for moral absolutes based on what they believe to be the Word of God.

Those ideas do not mean we can’t have political dissent. Far from it. Throughout Scripture we read instances of people of faith calling out injustice or wrong doing. In a society that accepts practices the Bible calls sin, the evangelical Christian voice is needed now more than ever.

Finally, though, Christians must remember that Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world, but in the hearts of men. Simply having some agreeable planks in a political platform won’t get the job done.

Changing hearts and minds will.