Christmas Reflections

Can you imagine that some Reformed Christians do not celebrate Christmas! It was a shock to me. Some thoughts have been posted HERE four years ago. One Christian man even celebrates Halloween, but not Christmas. 

One young Christian woman and I had a heated discussion on this topic last year. She and her husband have now left our church. Sad that we couldn't have agreed to disagree amicably, and I do forgive her, although I wish they would come back to our church and know we can disagree amicably and still fellowship together in Christ. 

What kind of Christmas should the Christian embrace? I think that we can say 

Merry Christmas

and not "Happy Holidays". Of course some folks think "Happy Holidays" is the best because it's politically correct. It's almost as if PC is the new religion for many. 

Of course we don't have to flaunt our tradition in the face of those who we know for certain celebrate Hanukkah and who have not embraced Jesus as the Messiah at this time. Why can't I wear the T-shirt that says "Jesus is the reason for the season"? Maybe this T-shirt is a little cheesy like the movie "Saving Christmas".

Kurt Cameron has gone to all lengths in the movie "Saving Christmas" to defend Christmas. His character compares the swaddling clothes of the manger to the grave clothes of Christ! He notes that there were trees in Genesis so why shouldn't we have a Christmas tree now! For me this exegesis is totally lacking. Somehow the character Kurt plays convinces his brother-in-law, Christian, that Christmas is about joy and that brother-in-law dances at the end of the movie. It totally misses the real joy of Christ's coming to dwell on earth.

THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS is not about gifts of course, but about the great event that happened in history. Of course we do not know that December 25th is the day the Messiah was actually born, but we do have this biblical history from the Old Testament of yearly celebrations. I am loving hearing Christmas carols and mailing greetings to friends and family. As a new widow, I appreciate all the family I do have left and plan to spend the holidays with some of them. I am writing this on some of my Christmas greetings:  

JESUS ENTERED OUR WORLD 

TO TEACH US HOW TO LIVE 

AND HOW TO DIE WITH CONFIDENCE. 

Hugs and Merry Christmas,
Carol

Part Four of A Call to Christian Patriotism

We say the movie "Last Ounce of Courage" Saturday night. There were very moving scenes in it and it packs a punch for freedom in our country. Go to see it if you can. See trailer.

Lots of news this week of the anniversary of 9/11 eleven years ago. Ambassdor Stevens and three other State Department employees were killed in Libya; this was followed by protests in other counties, and the suggestion is that a YouTube video that slams the Prophet Muhammad is at the source of the attacks. Tim Brown reflects that Christians respond with truth to a film whereas Muslims respond with violence to a film at the Freedom Outpost. Suppose terrorists killed the producers of "Last Ounce of Courage"? Would we excuse them because of their emotions? I think not. Sure, the movies are different. Charles Krauthammer criticizes the state department here. This election may finally deal with foreign affairs, not just jobs and the economy.

And, this article calls for Obama to take a stand for Israel.


In our book in these ten Monday blogs, A Call to Christian Patriotism, published a year ago, but relevant today, Howard A. Eyrich again discusses more Scripture to shape the Christian patriot.

• Deuteronomy 29:1-9. Moses was used as a leader. George Washington was used as a leader and the most amazing Constitution and Bill of Rights came into being--DEMOCRACY. The author writes:

If we desire our children and our grandchildren to enjoy the gift of this Constitution, we must engage with this Continental Army [of George Washington]. The war was won to secure this document and the freedoms it secured. But we are faced with increasingly strong guerrilla operations that would trash it. We must take our responsibility for leadership and engage in the process of self-governing. (p. 47)

We can vote wisely and we can pray as Mark Driscol writes here:

Yes, we should be informed citizens who take our privilege of voting seriously. Our involvement with the political process is what makes the form of government in the United States work. But God has something much more in mind for us when it comes to our political involvement. . . .

God, through Paul [I Timothy 2:1-2], didn’t specify what leaders we are to pray for and not pray for. He didn’t say we should only pray for one particular political party. He simply said, pray “for kings and all who are in high positions.

• Matthew 27 and Revelation 19, 20. "The carnage of war is strewn across the face of history," writes Eyrich (p. 49). [Yet American's] "Christian underpinnings forged a nation in which the rule of law pushed back the forces of evil with more vigor than ever before. The Ten Commandments became the symbol of our existence. . . . Christian Patriots cannot relinquish the fight to push back evil (49, 50)."

• 2 Timothy 3:1-4. Eyrich lists earmarks of a politician he wants to see and contrasts these with the description of politicians who are covetous, boastful, proud, unthankful, disobedient, unholy, traitors, high-minded and lovers of self and pleasure. He also points to little help from media.

• Deuteronomy 29 and I Peter 5:6. The author gives five suggestions. 1) Live according to what is right in God's eyes. 2) Pray for repentance as Daniel did. 3) Seek out and elect those who will bring reform. 4) Speak out as I am trying to do here. 5) Use our influence to call Americans back to our roots.

• Isaiah 5:18-23. "We have replaced our Judeo-Christian value system with a postmodern system. This has led to both confusion and conflict, and the slow eroding of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution" (p. 58), write Dr. Eyrich. He points out that our leaders are angry and we have changed religious freedom into tolerance.

That film we saw last weekend, "Last Ounce of Courage," illustrates this attempt at political correctness that negates our religious freedom, a principal upon which our country was founded. This soldier appreciates our freedoms and his country. Like the son in the movie, he is willing to die for that freedom. 

Soldier Has American Soil He Is Tending Overseas





Part One of A Call to Christian Patriotism

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247692/#lb  

With the election in the fall, Dinesh D'Sousa released a movie, a documentary, on what America will be like in 2016 if Obama is elected.  I do not know whether it is a faith-based movie, but it will cause some with faith to consider a responsibility in this election. Christians are on both sides of the election for sure, but we need to consider carefully our country and our world.



For ten weeks I will blog about A Call to Christian Patriotism by Howard A. Eyrich. It is a 52 week study, but I will go through it in the ten weeks before the election. You can get it here where author Dr. Howard A. Eyrich writes:

I am really excited about of my readers impacting the outcome of the 2012 elections. This book is about inciting a passion for the American way that our Founding Fathers conceived. My earlier books have been about changing the lives of those struggling with personal and family problems. This book is about Christian Americans struggling with the tarnishing of the American vision that our Founding Fathers rooted in the Gospel.  It is about practical Christianity doing something to revive and restore God’s good gift of freedom.

There are 52 weeks of studies but I will cover this book each Monday  until the election. You can cover it also.
 

The reading of this book really suggests an action plan beyond the book. Eyrich suggests in the Preface:

You will best utilize this book first of all by setting aside 20 minutes or so on Monday Morning. . . . . Engaging the essay will challenge you to be a Christian Patriot each Monday morning. . . . You determine the project within your comfort zone, your time frame and your sphere of influence. . . . In the process of working through this book I hope you will begin to develop a philosophy of Christian Patriotism and an action outlet for your passion.

So I am hoping to write about this book for ten Mondays until the election, a faster pace than the 52 weeks, but not impossible. These ten Monday posts will essentially be my notes and reflections for Eyrich's book.

Genesis 1-3 and Romans 13 recounts how sin came into the world and how the governing authorities are appointed by God to handle this sin and lawlessness.

In Acts 2:37-47 the first Christians devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, communion and prayers. In Revelation 2:1-7 the Ephesians we read have abandoned their first love. Has our country abandoned our first love?

Eyrich writes "God providentially gave America a foundation that is largely consistent with righteousness. No, God did not directly make a covenant with American, but our Founding Fathers gave us a framework that recognized God's providence and set forth a pattern of freedom, justice, and mercy that honored God (p. 8)."

He then asks why we should be a Christian patriot? His answer: "We cannot afford to be patriots who simply want to retain a way of life. Neither can we afford to be Christians who naively enjoy liberty. We must be Christians who are completely involved in the propagation of the Gospel, while at the same time taking the responsibility to be Americans, so as to preserve our freedom for the sake of the Gospel: thus we are Christian patriots (p. 11)." He goes on to say that the only hope for our country comes through expansion of the Kingdom of God. "It is only as the church is strengthened, expanded, and permeating American can we hope to experience the integrity of the intent of our Founding Fathers. . . . Preserving our nation is a consequence of the impact of the Gospel, just as turning of the world upside down was a consequence of preaching the Gospel (p. 13)."

How is this accomplished?

1. Prayer. Colossians 4:2,3
2. Preaching. Acts 2 and 3
3. Deeds of justice and mercy. Acts 4:32-37
4. Evangelism. Acts 8:2, 4

It is not too late to buy the book

 and to use these the suggested action plans. Meanwhile

invite people to this movie

 and pray for our elections in November.

Next Monday I will again blog more about this book.

Faith-Based Movies: Utopia, Warriors and Courageous

Three movies this season are billed as faith-based movies and all have to do with ineffective fathers and their children. Some of the fathers have problems with alcohol in all three movies and all with at least one son.

Last month I reviewed the novelization of "Courageous", a movie to be released in less than two weeks.  According to Pastor/Producer/Actor Alex Kendrick in Time Magazine "Our goal is to use movies to change culture. How many sermons would we have to preach to reach five million people?"  "Courageous" follows other movies, including "Fireproof" produced by the Kendrick brothers, Pastors of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. 

While waiting to see "Courageous", my husband and I saw "Seven Days in Utopia" with Johnny Crawford (acted by Robert Duvall) as the mentor for struggling golfer Luke Chishom (acted by Lucas Black). This movie is based on David L. Cook's book, Gold's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia. Here is the movie trailer:   Seven Days in Utopia  Sweet movie and movie scenes we enjoyed so  much. There are themes of father/son, mentor/mentee, and Johnny's regret that he himself lost his game because he drank too much. The biggest theme I saw is the spiritual lessons that the redeemed Johnny imparts to Luke who blew his last event when he was angry at his own father. At the end of the movie, Luke uses his training to keep his golf-game cool. We wonder if he made his putt. Author Cook has written a sequel book and answers that question here: Did He Make the Putt?

In contrast, another movie we saw, "Warrior", is a rough movie.  It has themes of the other two movies--father/son tension, alcoholism by Paddy (played by Nick Nolte). Tommy has his father Paddy become his boxing trainer but tells him it doesn't mean anything in terms of their family relationship; unforgiving Tommy gets his sober dad to drink again. In this dysfunctional family, the brothers also have issues that somehow seem to get resolved in the last scene while Paddy has looked on proud of his sons but perhaps realizing it will be hard to get back those years he has lost with his sons.

I wouldn't take everyone to "Warrior". Christianity Today in an e-mail I get on new movies wrote:

Warrior is rated PF-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material. The last  minutes of the film include several violent fights with blood and brutality. In a few heated moments, the main characters use profanity; Paddy once uses the Lord's name in vain. Brendan and his wife, Tess, talk sexually to one another. Tess is also shown in her underwear a few times. In one scene, Paddy gets drunk and behaves irrationally, crying and cussing.

But I would take everyone to "Courageous". Let the talk of redeeming relationships begin. We forgive, because Christ has forgiven us. We have this one life to have the generations get our relationships right.