Letters from Home

Older Son moved out a few weeks ago (which is a whole other emotional story for another time). His move is a rather gradual one and his room still holds plenty of reminders of his presence.

He's only about 20 minutes away and of course he works in his mother's business so we still see him plenty.

Among the relics he found under his bed when he was cleaning things out was a package of letters he received when he went to camp for the first time in 1997 when he was 11 years old.

The letters are a walk down memory lane. There are plenty from his mom and me that gave daily recitations of events at home and testimonies of how much we missed him. There were several from his grandparents including one from my dad, now deceased, that he wrote on his old manual typewriter on stationery he had lifted from a Las Vegas hotel he had recently visited (my dad was way beyond thrifty and never wasted anything). There is a detailed narrative about the day's golf game and a partner who hit a nearby pedestrian with a ball. Hilarious.

My mother had been gone less than a year then and the letter included a poignantly honest portion about occasional loneliness. He hoped his grandson might visit him later in the summer to ease that a bit. Golf games and fishing trips were promised.

The letters reminded me that, sadly, computers and technology -- as wonderful as they are -- have robbed us of some of life's greatest pleasures, one of which is the handwritten (or even typewriter-written, for that matter) letter. It is just too easy to log on, type a few lines and, with the click of a mouse, presto, I've written you a note.

To be sure, e-mails are great, and one cannot argue with the convenience and speed. Still, there is nothing quite like holding in your hand a letter or note that someone has taken the time to write. And I can remember the thrill of going to a mailbox and finding one of those. In college it was a daily highlight to go to the post office. Somehow, something came through in a letter that, for whatever reason, gets left out on the computer screen.

When I was cleaning out my mom's and dad's things after Dad died in 2006, I found the letters he wrote to my mother when he was serving in the military, just months before coming home to marry her in 1946. Mom had saved them in a big package with a big ribbon around them and kept them in her cedar chest. They are, needless to say, priceless.

I still have many of the letters my parents wrote me when I was in college, law school and working a summer job in the mountains. Even then, Dad used the old trusty manual typewriter and there were plenty of errors. He was also spelling-challenged which still make those letters that much more funny to read.

Life moves on and we progress. But I sure miss those letters from home.

A Poor Analogy

Ronald Reagan likened the U.S. to a “city set on a hill.” Borrowing from a sermon delivered by Puritan Pastor John Winthrop, who had actually borrowed it from the Sermon on the Mount, the phrase became inextricably associated with the Great Communicator. By the time he died, it seemed that more than a few believed it was a thought that had originated with him.

George W. Bush invoked another Biblical metaphor following Sept. 11, 2001, passionately describing the response of the U.S. to the attacks on our own soil. “The light shines in the darkness,” he said. “And the darkness will not overcome it.”

Reagan and Bush are certainly not the only political figures who have cited biblical language. It’s a fairly common practice. I appreciate it when our leaders go to the Scriptures for guidance; believe me, I'm all for it.

It would make me feel better, though, if they were a little more careful about the passages they cite, or at least more circumspect in their use of those passages

The “city set on a hill” was a phrase coined by Jesus himself. He was referring to his followers and their distinction as such. The imagery has since been used to mean the entire body of Christ, a reasonable progression. But is the entire United States a fair equivalent?

The “light” that “shines in the darkness” refers to Christ himself. I don’t see a likely comparison with any country, state or municipality. Bush caught some flack for that one -- and rightfully so, in my opinion.

I assure you that use and misuse of the Scriptures has been just as common among our Democratic brethren.

The latest example came just this week from none other than President Barack Obama. In a rather obscure speech on Tuesday that got very little press, Obama again reminded us that all that this economic mess had nothing to do with him (just in case we missed each and every other time he has told us this). He cited the parable of two men, one who built his house upon sand, only to have it wash away when the storms inevitably came; and the other who built his on a foundation of rock, and "when the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, it fell not.”

This story also comes from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said those who heard his words but did not act on them were like the unwise man who built his house on sand; those who heard his words and did act on them were like the wise man who built his house on rock.

The implication, of course, is that we’ve been building houses on sand for quite some time now, which is why we’re seeing so much being washed away. Now is the time, he said, to begin building upon “the rock.” One must surmise that this includes components of his budget and economic stimulus plan, which contain more spending than has ever been contemplated in the history of our government. There are those of us who believe it might contain a great deal of sand.

If I have learned anything over the years, it is that reasonable people, including reasonable people of faith, will have differences of opinion. The so-called Religious Right has taken a beating over the past few years for trying to tie Evangelical Christianity to the Republican Party. That criticism is well founded; conservatism, however defined or interpreted, and Christianity are not necessarily synonymous. Those who see themselves as being on “God’s side,” to the exclusion of all others, begin a descent down a slippery slope in my view.

Similarly, for Barack Obama to use the words of Christ to try and persuade me as to why I need to get on board with his economic stimulus plan causes me great problems.

While I respect the president as our nation’s leader, pray for him and support him as much as I can (and greatly appreciate his strong faith), I have sincere conscientious differences with him in many areas and strongly object to the actions his administration has taken or proposes to take to supposedly heal our ailing economy. I don’t appreciate his telling me that, if I’ll just go along with his policies, I’ll be building my house on a rock.

So, Mr. President, I would humbly offer you a small bit of advice: Be careful when using the words of the Master. In that he was the Son of God, he had one up on you when he told his stories.

Resurrection

My favorite hymn of all time, hands down, is "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." These are the lyrics:

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Some of the most wonderful memories from my childhood are from Easter Sundays in the Methodist Church my family attended, pipe organ being played full blast, sometimes a brass ensemble as well, accompanying choir and congregation singing these glorious words. I want it sung at my funeral.

It may or may not be sung tomorrow at the church of which I am now a part. If it is, it will be with electronic music that will not hold a candle to the more natural organ and brass, and it will probably be a more "modern" version, but I will still relish the words, which so beautifully -- yet simply -- tell the story of redemption that is the heart and soul of the Christian faith.

There is plenty of room at the table, in my opinion, for those who profess Christ as Savior. We come to Him in different ways. We can debate inerrancy of Scripture, reform theology, millenialism and on and on . . . and we will still arrive at different conclusions. And I am comfortable with that.

But the resurrection is one of those non-negotiables for me. As Wesley so eloquently put it, "Made like Him, like Him we rise." No room for any further discussion or interpretation there. The ultimate triumph, the resurrection, is what seals the deal.

There is a modern/contemporary song that I also love (though not nearly as much as "Christ the Lord") that also captures the redemption story. Titled "I Know My Redeemer Lives," the words are as follows:

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning? and Who told the ocean you can only come this far? And Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening? Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well I know my Redeemer lives. I know my Redeemer lives: All of creation testifies, This life within me cries, I know my Redeemer lives.

The very same God that spins things in orbit runs to the weary, the worn and the weak. And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken, they conquered death to bring me victory.

Now I know my Redeemer lives. I know my Redeemer lives. Let all creation testify, Let this life within we cry, I know my Redeemer.

He livesTo take away my shame. And He lives forever, I'll proclaim, that the payment for my sin Was the precious life He gave. But now He's alive and There's an empty grave.


Wow. My Redeemer lives. Made like Him, like Him we rise. Is that good news or what? Alleluia!