CHRISTMAS EVE MEDITATION

Another year has gone by and once again I find myself sitting on my couch just before midnight enjoying the quiet before the storm.  I love this time on Christmas Eve and look forward to it every year. Both Karen and the Wonder Dog are asleep and one of them is snoring. For the record I think it’s the dog since I’ve been told that proper southern ladies do NOT snore. Izzy the cat is curled up next to me sleeping as well. The lights on the Christmas tree glow with an intensity only found on Christmas Eve. By this time tomorrow the lights and ornaments will have lost some of their luster.

As always, Karen and I attended the candle light service at Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church. I look forward to this service every year, and not just because of the warm Christmas ambience.  You see, every year on Christmas Eve I get to spend time with my sainted grandmother Alice. When I was young, Alice would accompany us to church on Christmas Eve. Every year I would stand with her while she sang O Come All Ye Faithful as the choir processed into the sanctuary, her voice strong and vibrant in the early years but becoming less so over time. Now, years after her death, I leave room for her in the pew next to me on Christmas Eve. Without fail, she joins me to sing that timeless hymn. Tonight, I felt her presence next to me again and, at least for a little while, i was transformed into that little boy holding my grandmother’s hand and singing along with her.

Lately I’ve noticed that time appears to be speeding up.  The years that once dragged on when I was young now flash by. And with each passing year I get a little slower, I have a little less stamina, my eyesight is a little less acute, and sometimes familiar words and names elude me. Such is the way of things I guess. But I no longer fear the passing of my time on this Earth.

This coming year is going to be a year of changes for Karen and me. We have a lot of balls in the air and really don’t know where they’re all going to land. But regardless of life’s uncertainties, I can look forward to next Christmas Eve and spending another evening with Alice. Her faithful presence reminds me that I will be reunited with her again one day, along with family and friends who have passed on over the years. And this is the hope and promise of Christmas, a hope born into this world on a winter night long ago and far away.

So merry Christmas my friends! Keep the gift of Christmas in your hearts and lives throughout the coming year.

Your friend always,

Chris

LISTS

One Saturday morning a man is sitting on his couch drinking coffee and reading the news on his iPad. His wife walks into the room dressed for the day and announces that she will be gone for the next eight hours or so. Before leaving she hands her husband a long list of chores that need to be done, preferably that day.

True to her word, she returns early that evening and sees the list of chores on the kitchen counter. She’s pleased to see that most of the items have been crossed off the list. She looks for her husband and finds him sitting on the patio in the back yard and thanks him for finishing all the chores while she was gone. To which he replies “oh, I didn’t do anything. I just crossed the chores I didn’t want to do off the list.”

Like I’ve always said, if a man says he will do something, he will. You don’t have to remind him every six months.

I hate lists. Lists are an Albatross hanging from my neck. They stare me down every morning and force me to organize my day. Unfortunately, making lists is also the only way I can remember the things I need to do. Sometimes I forget to look at my lists (Karen will testify to this). I don’t know how to fix that.

I used to make paper lists but that’s not good enough in our modern technological age. Now I have a “list app” to categorize, prioritize, and track progress against my tasks. Where I used to have a simple list scrawled on a sheet of old notebook paper, I now have a numbing array of lists, all available at a moment’s notice, with headings like home groceries, Target, Sam’s/Costco, Home Depot/Lowes, farm groceries, meals, vacation plans, farm projects, etc.  I even have a meta-list, a list of lists that categorizes all my lists. And there is no limit to how many lists I can create.

My failure to complete tasks is now highlighted in yellow or red. To make matters worse, I share my list with Karen, which gives her the ability to add to my lists at will. While I’m in the middle of checking some task off my list, new ones appear like magic.

One item you will not find on any of my lists is “spend silent time listening to God”. Spending time with God is not a chore to check off when complete. Thomas Kelley, a Quaker mystic, asks us:

“Do you want to live in such a divine presence that life is transformed and transmuted into peace and power and glory and miracle”.

If your answer is yes, Kelly says “if you do, you can. But if you say you don’t have time, then you really don’t want to, because we always manage to find the time for the things we truly want to do”.

Is your desire to spend silent time with God on your “to do” list or on your “want to do list”. If the latter, you will find the time.

ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

Attending church services around the 4^th of July always makes me uneasy. As I walked up the steps to the sanctuary at my church on July 3 this year I knew what to expect. And, true to form, I found the sanctuary adorned with the red, white, and blue of American mythology. To be fair, the decorations were very understated and tasteful. The sanctuary did not contain any American flags or other national symbols standing alongside the symbols of our Christian faith. Nor did we sing the Star-Spangled Banner before whispering the Lord’s Prayer.  In fact, the only “patriotic” song we sang was America the Beautiful. If you’ve never sung the entire song the second verse is particularly relevant.

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!  
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

(emphasis mine).

The subdued patriotism displayed by my church stands in stark contrast to the display at First Baptist Church in Dallas. The worship service there, led by pastor Robert Jeffress, was a display of unbridled nationalism paired with Jeffress’ peculiar brand of Christianity.  Huge electronic flags waived behind the communion table while the massed choir and orchestra sang "Make America Great Again", a song commissioned specifically for the event.

Figure 1 First Baptist Dallas 4th of July Service

More and more I’m seeing deliberate attempts to tie Christianity to American na
tionalism, and, as a Christian, I’m concerned. First, let me make the distinction between patriotism and nationalism using the words of Brian McLaren:

“Patriotism is the love for what is good, wise, and beautiful in a country, along with a corresponding desire to improve the parts of that country that aren’t good, wise, or beautiful. When we treat a nation as quasi-inerrant, and therefore God-like, we tip from patriotism to nationalism. We lose our ability to name and identify what is not good, wise, or beautiful about our country".

Patriotism faces our shortcomings, learns from them, and seeks to improve. Patriotism. admits its mistakes and apologizes when appropriate. Patriotism will not rest until the promise of America holds true for each and every citizen

Nationalism brooks no dissent. Nationalism admits no fault or shortcoming. Nationalism is unconcerned about the plight of the underprivileged, caring only about the wealthy and powerful.  Nationalism says “my country right or wrong”, America, love it or leave it”, and “America for Americans”.

And, when combined with a religion giving the state ethical cover and a God-ordained mission, nationalism becomes a dark force that endangers us all.

The alliance of state power and religious fervor is nothing new. Throughout history, even to this day, nation states seek the blessing of religious authorities because they know how powerful a motivator religion can be. When we think of the Pilgrims we tend to think only of their flight to America seeking religious freedom. What we don’t speak of is the fact that many emigrants to this country did so to escape the incessant wars in Europe, many that were prosecuted based on disagreements on some fine point of Christian doctrine.  A prime example is the Thirty Years War, fought between various Protestant and Catholic states in central Europe between 1618 and 1648, a conflict that caused some eight million casualties.

With this war fresh in their minds, the Framers of the Constitution decreed that the new government of the United States would never endorse an official state religion. The separation of religious and secular power was so important the Framers enshrined it as one of our three revered rights, along with freedom of speech and freedom of the press, in the 1st amendment to the Constitution.

The National Socialists of 1930s Germany understood the power of religion when married to the state all too well. While there is some debate about Hitler’s Christianity, most scholars agree that he was not a practicing Christian, and often derided its institutions and practitioners. This did not mean he did not use the faith of Christians in Germany to solidify his power and further his goals. Nazi propagandists often juxtaposed Christian symbols with Aryan mythology to conflate the two. Here are a few examples.

Figure 2 Hitler Youth Badge

Figure 3 Nazi Flag & Crucified Christ

Figure 4 St. Michael Fighting Dragon.

Figure 5 Hitler as Crusader Knight

Figure 1 shows a Hitler Youth badge with a cross superimposed over a Nazi swastika. Figure 2 shows a Nazi flag at the feet of the crucified Christ. The positioning of German soldiers seems to equate the sacrifice of Christ with the sacrifice of the German people.  Figure 3 shows St. Michael enlisting the help of a German soldier to fight the multi-headed dragon. Of particular interest is the Jewish and Communist symbols associated with the dragon heads. Finally, figure 4 depicts Hitler as a crusader knight.

Fast forward to the 21^st century and we see similar attempts to associate American and Christian symbols. Here are some examples.

Figure 6 Aryan Nations Symbol

Figure 7 KKK Flag

Figure 8 Flag-Draped Cross

Figure 9 Flag-themed Cross Jewelry

Figure 10 Flag-draped Bible Imagery

The juxtaposition of American and Christian symbols is evident in the symbols of fringe groups like Aryan Nations and the Ku Klux Klan (figures 6 & 7), Churches (figure 8), cultural items such as jewelry (figure 9), and common imagery (figure 10).

Finally, in an act I find particularly reprehensible, Trijicon, a supplier of gun sights to the Marine Corps, included a bible reference stamped on every sight integrated into the serial number sequence (ACOG4X32JN8:12 in figure 11). In this case the verse is John 8:12 which records Jesus as saying: 

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Figure 11  Rifle Scope with Stamped Bible Reference

Does any Christian really believe Jesus would condone permanently stamping his words on a gun sight used to augment military assault rifles?

Now I’m not suggesting that America is facing the rise of a Nazi-like fascist state. The conditions in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s were unique to that time and place. Nonetheless, that does not preclude the rise of a form of fascism unique to American history and experience.

I'm sure many of you have heard this quote, often attributed to Sinclair Lewis:

“When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."

As it turns out, Sinclair Lewis is not the source of this quote. Nor can I find any reference to its origin. However, In 1944 John Thomas Flynn wrote “As We Go Marching”, considered by many to be a classic treatise on fascism in America. The following excerpt speaks a warning to us even today.

“But when fascism comes it will not be in the form of an anti-American movement or pro-Hitler bund, practicing disloyalty. Nor will it come in the form of a crusade against war. It will appear rather in the luminous robes of flaming patriotism; it will take some genuinely indigenous shape and color, and it will spread only because its leaders, who are not yet visible, will know how to locate the great springs of public opinion and desire and the streams of thought that flow from them and will know how to attract to their banners leaders who can command the support of the controlling minorities in American public life. The danger lies not so much in the would-be Fuhrers who may arise, but in the presence in our midst of certainly deeply running currents of hope and appetite and opinion. The war upon fascism must be begun there.”

The state provides the fuel and religion provides the fire. Christians must hold true to the words of Christ as recorded in Matthew 22 verse 21:

"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's"

We must resist attempts to conflate our Christian faith with the power and goals of the state. Christ calls us to build the Kingdom of God on Earth in the here and now. We cannot accomplish that by aligning ourselves with the secular state, and in doing so justify the acts of the state as being ordained by God.

THE SERVANT LEADER

Over a 30 year career in the business world I have been called to many leadership roles in many contexts, including commercial enterprises, non-profits, and volunteer organizations.  I have been an individual contributor, a coach and mentor, led small teams, large groups, and distributed organizations with a global presence.  Over the years, I have attended those mandatory internal leadership training classes, some interesting external leadership seminars, and some over-priced collegiate level leadership programs sponsored by Big Name Universities.  Yeah, I’ve heard them all.

First let me address the difference between leadership and management.  Warren Benis, the author of On Becoming a Leader, states this difference simply and concisely.

“Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right things”.

An accomplished manager is adept at arranging materials, processes, and time to achieve specific goals.  But when it comes to people, a manager can manage only a person’s time. The people themselves cannot be managed.  People need to be led.  The decision to accept a leader is an act of volition on the part of the follower.

There are as many leadership styles as there are prospective authors of leadership books and conference organizers.  But I’ve found the following descriptions to be representative of most.  There is the Charismatic Leader.  The Charismatic Leader gathers followers through personality and charm, rather than any form of external power or authority.  There is the Participative Leader who, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in the process.  The Transactional Leader creates structures wherein it is clear what is required of their subordinates and the rewards that they get for following orders. Punishments are not always mentioned, but they are also well-understood and formal systems of discipline are usually in place.  The Transformational Leader believes that people will follow a person who inspires them.  The way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy.  They put passion and energy into everything they do.  The Servant Leader takes responsibility for those that he/she leads by helping them succeed and grow.  He or she also often accepts a responsibility towards society and those who are disadvantaged.  The Quiet Leader believes that actions of a leader speak louder than his or her words.  They base their success not on ego and force of character but on their thoughts and actions.  Finally there is the Situational Leader who understands that different situations require different leadership styles.  No one style is adequate to the multiplicity of factors at hand.

Regardless of leadership style, effective leaders all share certain personal traits.  They are honest in all their dealings, both internal and external to their organizations. They display competence in their discipline and role. They look to the future rather than dwell on the past. They are inspiring to others. They are intelligent and fair in their dealings with others. They seek out a diversity of opinion.  They are courageous and can be depended upon to make the tough decisions.  They communicate in a straightforward manner.  And finally, they display creativity and imagination when solving problems.  For those of you taking notes, did you get all that??

What then of the Christian Leader?  Does practicing any of the secular leadership styles or possessing some or all of these leadership attributes define a Christian leader?  Certainly an effective Christian leader will exhibit some of these characteristics.  But I would argue that while these elements are necessary components, they are ultimately insufficient.  A Christian leader needs more.

However, let me say that the leadership skills and experiences I’ve acquired over the years are not what I want to talk about today.  They no longer represent my leadership philosophy at this point in my life, nor do they explain what I mean by “Christian Leadership”.   My current approach to leadership is tied tightly to who I am, which in turn, has been deeply impacted by the totality of my life experiences.  So, in order to understand my leadership approach today, you need to understand how I got to where I am.  Don’t worry, I’ll keep it short.

I was born in Detroit in the 1950s when Detroit was at the pinnacle of its prestige and power. Over 2 million people called Detroit home, making it the 5^th largest city in the nation.  In the 1950s, Detroit was a global industrial powerhouse and a major source of industrial and commercial manufactured goods as well as raw materials processing.

The economic engine behind the city was the automobile manufacturing industry.  The high wages paid to the auto workers literally created the US middle class.  The high tax base enabled world-class public facilities, beautiful Art Deco architecture, outstanding museums, beautiful parks and public facilities; legendary sports teams (Go Tigers!), nationally-ranked universities, and a robust transportation infrastructure.

Then the city began to change.  At first, it almost wasn’t even noticeable: like the first tentacles of cool air ahead of a cold front that brings a slight shiver to the body.  The world started to catch up to America, as Europe and Asia emerged from the devastation of war.  Auto imports started to impact domestic car sales.  Manufacturers employed automation on a major scale for the first time.  The deterioration continued as major corporations liquidated (does anyone remember AMC?), and supporting industries collapsed.  The pace of change accelerated into a downward spiral of hopelessness.

Frustrated by job loss, ineffective social support and political systems, and unhealthy living conditions, the city erupted in the summer of 1967.  The July riots sealed Detroit’s fate.  At the same time the civil rights and anti-war movements were tearing at the fabric of American society while riots rocked the cities and the war raged on.  Compounding the problem was a loss of leadership as our leaders were taken from us one by one – John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy.  While society struggled with these issues, an even greater challenge remained on the horizon as America had yet to consider the environmental consequences of unbridled capitalism.  And yet hope was on the horizon, in the form of an environmental manifesto, written in 1962.  Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” would galvanize the nascent environmental movement and give it a voice.

So what have I learned from these life experiences?  First I’ve learned that the good times never last, but the Phoenix can rise from the ashes.  Second, I’ve learned that we are all connected to each other in what I’ve come to think of as a global human meta-society.  Everything we do, for good or for ill, has an impact on those around us – locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally.

So in the summer of 1970, I was 17 years old.  One warm July day I decided to attend an outdoor concert on the campus of Wayne State University to hear one of my favorite local bands – the MC 5.  Little did I know that this decision would have a profound and lasting impact on my life.  At one point during the concert the lead singer came to the front of the stage and issued a challenge to the audience.

·         All it takes is 5 seconds,

·         5 seconds of decision.

·       And then he looked right at me and said, “5 seconds to decide if you are going to be part of the problem, or if you are going to be part of the solution. You must choose brother, you must choose…”

That simple challenge was like a slap in the face to an impressionable 17 year old.  And ever since, in my own way and in my little corner of the world, I’ve tried to be part of the solution.  But it was only much later that I came to understand that on that day and in that place, God was speaking to me through the most unlikely of sources.  God was calling me to step up and become part of His Kingdom. 

So just what is this Kingdom of God? Isaiah gives us a hint in Chapter 65 verses 20-23, in this description of what this Kingdom would, could, and will be like:

 “Never again will there be in this kingdom
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach  a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
The people will build houses and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
No longer will they build houses for others to live in them,
    or plant for others to eat.
For as the days of a tree,
    so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
They will not labor in vain,
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
    they and their descendants with them.

 And according to Isaiah, those who do the work of the Kingdom will “learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, and plead the case of the widow.” 

The big question we’re left with, then, is when will Isaiah’s prophecy be fulfilled?   Many interpret the Kingdom as a future condition; either a transformed Earth or Heaven.  But Jesus dispels this notion in Mark Chapter 1 verse 15:

  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand”.

“The Kingdom is at hand”!  Just what does that mean?  This verse has been interpreted many ways over the centuries.  Some believe that the Kingdom will not come until Jesus’ return, or that they will enter the Kingdom only upon their death.  But the message that speaks to me is one in which we live in the Kingdom and the Kingdom lives in us, and it is incumbent upon each one of us to bring forth the Kingdom in our own little corner of the world.

And that is the heart of Christian leadership that sets Christian leaders apart; to heed the call to serve the Kingdom whenever and wherever you hear it. Now the world is replete with leaders, both in the secular and in spiritual realms.  But what separates true Christian leaders from the pretenders is a matter of motivation and intent.  Let’s look at a few examples.  Our country considers Abraham Lincoln to be one of the greatest leaders in our history.  Why is that?  After all, he initiated and prosecuted the bloodiest war ever fought on American soil.  But did he wage this war for personal gain, conquest, or accolades?  No, he fought the war in order to end slavery, and by doing so right a centuries-old wrong, and free an entire people.  While historians don’t agree on what may or may not have been Lincoln’s religious beliefs, I consider this an exemplary act of a Christian leader, what I like to call a “Kingdom Act”.  Now let’s look at a more contemporary leader, Kenneth Lay.  In the 1990s Ken Lay led one of the most profitable companies in the US, Enron.  He was feted by Wall Street, the press, and almost worshiped by his employees.  But what was his motivation?  I would argue that Mr. Lay’s motivation was greed and power.  Of course you know the result of Mr. Lay’s leadership.  Enron collapsed under the weight of its own misdeeds, many of its employees lives were ruined, and Enron now serves as a classic example of criminal behavior in the corporate world.

Nor is the spiritual world exempt.  The spiritual realm boasts some of the greatest leaders who have shaped world history: Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, the Budda, Mohammed, and, of course, Jesus Christ.  As an example of spiritual leadership let’s consider two men who have spent their lives preaching the Gospel, Jimmy Swaggart and Billy Graham.  Both came to fame and prominence in the 2^nd half of the 20^th century but their legacies cannot be more different.  Billy Graham is revered because the sole purpose of his unselfish mission was to spread the word of God. Again, this is a Kingdom Act, that of a Christian leader.  Jimmy Swaggart, however, used the Gospel message as a means to obtain significant personal wealth and power.  Today he is a disgraced televangelist who is easily forgotten.

So the call to Christian leadership is easy to understand.  Do not seek to be a leader.  Simply answer God’s call to the Kingdom when you hear it.  Simple right?  Well, the price of entry is free, that is, our salvation is free.  But the cost of discipleship can be very high.  When Jesus called his disciples, the price they paid to enter the Kingdom was answering a call to leave behind their existing way of life, as in Luke Chapter 5 verse18:

“And immediately they left their nets and followed him”

Many of the apostles became leaders of the new church. The seeming contraction here is that the apostles became leaders of the church only because they obeyed the call to become followers of Christ.  Of course, not all are called to make this large of a sacrifice.  But as Americans we have been blessed with an abundance that defies imagination.  Jesus says in Luke chapter 12, verse 48, “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Christ will never call you to serve in a way that is beyond your reach.  He may stretch you in all directions and place you in unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations, but you have the skills needed to fulfill your call.

    Just like a forestry major who spent 30 years in the high-tech industry who, at the ripe old age of 60, will finally complete his master’s degree while enrolled in the environmental ministry certification program at the McCormick Theological Seminary.

And it is through these acts, whether they be mundane or magnificent, that you are a leader in the Kingdom of God.

• ·         Whenever you volunteer at a soup kitchen you are being a Christian leader.  Whenever you teach a Sunday school class you are being a Christian leader.
• ·         Whenever you donate clothes or food to a mission you are being a Christian leader
• ·         Whenever you help Habitat for Humanity build a house you are being a Christian leader.
• ·         Whenever you sing with the church praise team you are being a Christian leader. 
• ·         Whenever a Pilgrimage moderator calls to ask you to be head music cha and you say “yes” you are being a Christian leader.

·         And when you stop and just say hello to a homeless person on the street, thereby validating his or her existence and conveying simple human dignity, you are being a Christian leader. 

I’d like to close with a prayer attributed to perhaps the greatest Christian leader of all time, St Francis of Assisi.  In it, St Francis captures the essence Christian leadership.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

And in the final three verses Francis captures the beauty and mystery of the Christian faith.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in forgiveness that we are forgiven;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

So what about you?  All it takes is a decision.  You have five seconds..