Weekly Articles

At this time of year, we often look back to the beginning of the year.  We look back to our financial status most often, many seeing the spending that we shouldn’t have done and the saving that we should.  We also look forward to the new year, making resolutions (losing weight tops the list) that we know from past experience we will not keep.  In the midst of all of the hustle and bustle of packing up the Christmas decorations, getting back to work, and resuming normal life in general, maybe we should pause and remember what we are here for. 

We often see our financial failures the clearest (rejected credit cards and overdue statements will do that to even the dullest American).  For the most part, we even see what we should have done to have gotten a different result.  We just do not do those things.  And so, we get what we clearly see we should have gotten:  money troubles.  This is what many Americans see when they look backwards. 

When looking forward to the new year, the average American male will think about getting in shape as the number one resolution, while the average American female will think about losing weight.  Both of them know from the start that they will fail.  The past has shown that they will not maintain the diet and exercise needed for the desired transformation to occur.  This is what the future holds for many Americans. 

But what about the Christian Americans?  Do we allow ourselves to be consumed by finances and health issues?  Are they the top of our lists too?  Well, certainly Christians should have their finances under control, and I believe that God wants us to take care of our bodies in a decent manner also.  But what about our spiritual wealth, and our spiritual health?  Shouldn’t they have a higher priority? 

As we look back at the year 2007, what do we see in terms of our spiritual finances?  Do we see frivolity and spiritual bankruptcy?  Or do we see our treasures being laid up on high for us, built on the faith acted out in our lives?  How have we spent the Master’s gifts to us?  How are we going to spend them in the new year? 

What are we wanting to achieve as our spiritual health?  Are we going to attempt to grow in knowledge and wisdom, or are we going to render the lip service that has gotten us to where we are at today?  Only a strong, healthy Christian can stand firm in the fight ahead of us; the children routinely stay home in a war.  We need to grow into mature Christians who not only know right from wrong, but who have grown to desire the right over the wrong. 

I want to make an appeal to all Christians:  Jesus is coming soon, and the more we focus on ourselves, the less impact we can make on those around us.  Remember for this new year:  taking the message of Jesus out from ourselves is what we are here for.  Let us commit this new year to being about our Father’s business. 

-Charles Peterson

Americans love Christmas; no holiday captures our dreams or affects our lives more.  Many retail stores live or die based on sales generated during Christmas.  Likewise, Hollywood counts on the Christmas season for its livelihood.  Many of America’s workforce takes vacation during Christmas.  Christmas saturates our culture, from literature (A Christmas Carol, Twas the Night Before Christmas) to movies (White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34st Street), and palpably sets the tone for our interactions with each other – everyone just seems to act nicer.  But the question arises:  what does Christmas mean to us?

Winter festivals have been commonplace throughout human history; they were often religious in nature.  Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, and Yule were all pre-Christian festivals (and each faded into obscurity due to Christmas).  From these festivals were brought such traditions as lighting a Yule log, singing, and feasting.  As the Christians slowly changed the festivals from honoring the Sun, Mithras, or Thor, to honoring the birth of Christ, new traditions emerged (along with a new mythology).  The fourth century Saint Nicholas is widely believed to be the foundation of Santa Claus, with his propensity for anonymous gift-giving and caring for the poor and abused.  As Christianity spread, so did Christmas, until it became rooted in our culture.

Icons such as richly ornamented trees, wrapped presents, and caroling are deeply embedded in most Americans’ lives, whether Christian or secular.  Figures from the National Christmas Tree Association show that Americans purchased 28.6 million real trees ($1.2 Billion) and 9.3 million artificial trees ($631 Million) in 2006; the real trees were harvested from 21,904 farms occupying 446,996 acres of land.  Shopping in the 2006 Christmas season pushed sales to around $460 Billion (http://christmasspirit.wordpress.com).  Santa Claus adorns advertisements for everything from canned sodas to used cars, and Forbes magazine reportedly took him off of the richest fictional characters list due to the objections of his juvenile adherents. 

Christmas is an integral part of our society.  Federal employees (and many state and private employees, too) get Christmas as a mandated holiday.  Many foods are consumed almost exclusively during the holiday season (fruitcake, gingerbread man cookies, eggnog), and quite a few songs are only played this time of year.  Charities, too, build their hopes on the “season of giving”:  in 2005 Americans gave upwards of $260 Billion to charities of all types (ibid.).  Televisions shows frequently feature a Christmas story, and one of the greatest-selling charity-based music albums was centered on a Christmas theme.

All of this having been said, what should we in the church do about it?  How do we approach our friends, family, and neighbors about the truth of Jesus in relation to the Christmas holiday?  Of course, there is the fact that it is almost for certain that Jesus was not born on December 25^th.  Many have pointed out that Christmas has its origins with pagan holidays.  Some have opined that people could fall into a trap of worshipping the holiday, not God.  After all, the Bible does say not to add to the Bible, and Christmas is never mentioned.  Nor did the first century church observe the holiday.

Do we really care that the 25^th of December is not the exact birthday?  What is Christmas about:  congratulating Jesus for becoming older by a year, or celebrating the miraculous nature of God becoming man to bring man back to God?  Do we care that the Christmas holiday replaced pagan rituals?  I thought Christianity was all about replacing sin and evil in our lives with the goodness of Christ.  I never understood the whole “worshipping the holiday rather than God,” but I guess it could happen; look at how some members of the Lord’s body treat the assembly - but we still assemble.  The best of these arguments is the lack of mention in the Bible, and the lack of occurrence among the first Christians.  But then again, the Bible never authorized much (or even most) of what we do today – it was understood in the first century that they were to come up with the forms that fit the broad guidelines set forth by Jesus and the Apostles.  Most Christmas celebrations comply with those guidelines just fine.

Now, this is not an appeal for the church to take up Christmas and deck the halls and the pulpit.  But I do want to caution my brothers and sisters about missing out on a golden opportunity.  America is more favorably disposed to think about Christ during Christmas than at any other time.  We should welcome the chance to tell others the truth about Jesus, and not shy away because we may not take the day as especially holy.  Remember that any day we celebrate Jesus is a holy and sacred day.

-Charles Peterson

Last week my family travelled to Walt Disney World in Florida.  I noticed a few things while I was there besides the ubiquity of Mickey Mouse’s ears and the immense size of the park (roughly 2/3 the size of Washington DC).  These are lessons that I think we Christians should take to every place we visit. 

Children are important.  Far too often children are neglected; adults generally get worn out attending to their needs (and they are among the neediest creatures on the planet).  It takes work to raise children properly, and most of us become fatigued just dealing with our own problems.  But it is vitally important that children are raised properly.  Nothing, after devotion to God and keeping the marriage intact are as important as the attention given to children (especially our own).  This is something Disney World got right.  The atmosphere throughout the park is one that is comfortable for children (even areas designed more for teenagers and adults in mind).  Very few rides do not make allowances for children - many require them to be accompanied but still have been designed for even small children to ride.  Why is this an important message for us?

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them.  But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.  (Matthew 19:13-15 NIV)

It is a small world, after all.  For those of you who have not been on the 40-year old ride, it features wooden dolls representing children from all over the world and a song played in several languages and styles.  The final scene is one with examples of the children, but this time they are all dressed in white and together.  The point of the ride is that people across the planet are the same except for human-made barriers such as language and culture.  This is a lesson more Christians would do well to remember:  we preach Christ, not American Christianity.  I am wholeheartedly loyal to America and its way of life, but I recognize that the Bible transcends and surpasses America; Christianity is a phenomenon that sweeps across the globe and reaches people through their language and culture, just as it does to us through ours.  Many of our missionary efforts have caused considerable harm by exporting our customs and conflicts to regions that, due to different cultures and conditions, had remained free of them.  We have to remember that the Gospel of Christ reaches people through their own language and customs because the author of that message created all mankind – and thus he knows them all.  This is part of the power of the Gospel. 

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 NIV)

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  (Peter 3:9 NIV)

All nature indicates God’s creativity and power.  I was reminded of this when we visited the Animal Kingdom park, wherein Disney established an African safari and wildlife preserve.  It contained species of animal and insect life that I had never seen before.  This world contains a vast array of life that shows a creator with vision and creativity and compassion.  And it shows where man gets his inventiveness and creativity from.  Animal Kingdom exists not because man is more highly evolved than the residents of that park, but rather because man inherited from God the breath of life and the dominion over the earth and all of its creatures.  And just as we are driven to study and admire animals in all of their forms, so too we should admire even more the creator and designer of those animals.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  (Genesis 1:31 NIV)

Family surpasses fantasy.  I found that my children, while entranced with meeting for real the characters they love, really enjoyed best the times we spent as a family focusing on the family.  While we pushed ourselves and scheduled different parks for different days, it was at the end of each day that the kids were able to retreat from the overwhelmingly fantastic settings to the simple luxury of swimming with the family.  We donned our suits and put appropriate flotation devices to keep our children breathing air and relaxed as a family.  Our kids stayed up every night for two hours longer than they normally did, but they were fine because in addition to timely afternoon naps, they recharged simply interacting in a comfortable family setting.  This is important for us to remember:  family should equal safety and security.  Too many churches see the assembled body as a political battleground or as a treacherous harbor.  It should be a safe haven and a place of comfort and edification.  We should not have to worry about hidden agendas or alignments of personalities in their shift for power.  The church is about one man’s power – Christ, the son of the living God.  And control is less important than is maturity; family reality is more important than political fantasy.

And finally, the Golden Rule is truly golden.  I find it interesting (and a bit distressing) that people think that giving to others in someway diminishes themselves.  They see giving praise or honor to one person as shaming themselves; they perceive acknowledging someone else’s good fortune as conceding their own failure; and they view everything as a “for me to win, you must lose” proposition.  It is very sad, because nothing could be further from the truth.  The truth is that when I give to others, then I truly receive.  When I give honor to others, I increase my own distinction.  When I give aid and comfort to those in need, I build treasure for myself.  When I treat others with compassion and concern, I know that I will be taken care of.  How do I know that it is better to give than to receive?  Jesus said so.

-Charles Peterson