Wooden pews and floors respond

You pity me.

But know this:

Every time I creak because I'm being stepped on,

Every time I sag because I'm being sat on,

I'm doing more good

Than you ever will.

Happy dog

About two weeks ago I was riding in a jam-packed light-rail train during rush hour on the way home and overheard two ladies talking about a variety of topics. Near the end of the ride, I heard one lady talk about a family member's dog and how it panicked whenever it was let free in the backyard:

"The only way the dog was happy was when he was tied to something."

Familiar tongue

I recently had the opportunity to spend a handful of days traveling through Europe -- London, Rome and Paris. It was all kinds of wonderful, but one thing I'll share here is how pleasant it was to hear English after going days and days in lands where unfamiliar tongues prevailed. It was refreshing, relieving and comforting.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. - Hebrews 11:13-16

I am reminded that I am a sojourner on this earth, and that I am headed to a land whose tongue will make the language I speak and write with approximate fluency here seem strange and awkward.

That better country will have a tongue that will resonate with me in a way that no good book, quote or lyric will ever be able to do here. A single syllable will unravel the heavy, convoluted mess of ineffable emotions I've been hauling in my heart for so many years, to reveal a sublime tapestry of brilliance and understanding. I will immediately realize that I am truly known and, indeed, have always been known by the love I've been aching for my whole life. My heart will melt with concurrent waves of sorrow and joy until all that's left is throbbing worship.

When I hear those first words of welcome, I'll know that I'm finally home.

I have a left-handed heart

Christmas, darker

God came down to us in the humble form of a baby, in less than ideal circumstances. He did this because he loved his people and wanted to be among them, to eventually save them. His birth as baby Jesus is, therefore, a grand occasion to celebrate.

This is good, but it's not complete. It's like starting a good book at chapter three.

The pulsing, broken heart of the matter is that all this was necessary because God hated having a long-distance relationship with us -- and no, not physically. We drew away from him, hurling curses at God and damnation upon ourselves along the way.

So, if I may be so bold as to speak plainly and, possibly, incorrectly, God's descent into our world in human form was fueled not just by love, but hate -- for that damning distance we stubbornly set our hearts, minds, bodies and souls to augment.

The three wise men showed one way to respond: worship. King Herod showed another: fear.

Herod was right to fear the birth of Jesus. That event is, after all, a direct strike at the heart of all who are powerful and haughty. Tucked away in that manger was final judgment on all our transgressions, an unfiltered revelation of just how dire our situation was, the tearing down of the veil we chose to hid behind. In that baby's presence we were struck down to nothing.

"For the great and powerful of this world, there are only two places in which their courage fails them, of which they are afraid deep down in their souls, from which they shy away. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ. No powerful person dares to approach the manger, and this even includes King Herod. For this is where thrones shake, the mighty fall, the prominent perish, because God is with the lowly. Here the rich come to nothing, because God is with the poor and hungry, but the rich and satisfied he sends away empty. Before Mary, the maid, before the manger of Christ, before God in lowliness, the powerful come to naught; they have no right, no hope; they are judged." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Herod's fear-driven response was to order the murder of "all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under" (Matt. 2:16, ESV).

I'm glad we have a God who is worth killing.

"The coming of God is truly not only a joyous message, but is, first, frightful news for anyone who has a conscience. And only when we have felt the frightfulness of the matter can we know the incomparable favor. God comes in the midst of evil, in the midst of death, and judges the evil in us and in the world. And in judging it, he loves us, he purifies us, he sanctifies us, he comes to us with his grace and love. He makes us happy as only children can be happy." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer