This is a more organized, slightly better explained version of what I talked about Monday at the Christmas Eve service:

One of the most striking things about the incarnation - at least from my perspective - is that it’s a story. That’s not to say that it’s just a story, however, it wasn’t given to us in the form of a theology textbook with diagrams and bullet points. I’ve got to assume this is intentional - God could have given us a textbook if He had wanted to. For a theology geek like me, that seems like it would have been a better idea, really. It would have eliminated a lot of confusion. In any case, though, He didn’t, and what we have is a narrative.

Priests brawling at the birthplace of Christ in a dispute on how to clean the church of the Nativity, seems to well summarize the lost condition of the world. The Prince of Peace comes into a world which is too busy squabbling over meaningless issues to follow Him.

Our Journey Group had the opportunity to go the Tree Lighting ceremony (AKA - Light a Candle for Peace) and the Madison City Hall last night. This was put on by the Madison Garden Club. The Madison Elementary School choir sang and 5 fifth grade students read essays on “What peace mean to me”.

What blew me is how carefully scripted everything was not to mention “Christmas” or “Jesus” or anything overtly Christian. As the program went on we heard quotes from the “Dali Lama”, the “Jewish Talmud”, Mother Teresa and essay references to “god”, “Jena 6”, Martin Luther King Jr, HIV/AIDS, and stray cats and dogs. We had a time of “prayer” that was addressed to “Our great father” (I believe that was the wording). As everyone gathered around the “Holiday Tree” our mayor got close to the “reason for the season” and attributed the season to “Christ”. Not a strong finish.

I’m probably going to raise some eyebrows here by suggesting that the Advent Conspiracy web site - even with their proper condemnation of consumerism and greed - is still missing the boat and putting the cart before the horse in their advocation of the restoration of the true spirit of Christmas by “compassion and not consumption”.

Here is an interesting survey from Northpoint Community Church. Try to take it without assumption of the results.

I’d be interested to see some comments about what your results are. Any ah-ha moments? Agree? Disagree?

http://common.northpoint.org/sacredpathway.html

–
David Thew
Sojourn Founding Pastor

(With the DVD being released, I thought it might be a good time to re-release this fact sheet that I did on the book earlier this year. - Bob Pratico, Fides Quaerens Intellectum)

Dan Brown, the author, calls it “historical fiction” – meaning that while the characters and plot are fiction, “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” (p. 1)

Thesis: A secret society (“Priory of Sion”) was established around 900 years ago. The “Secret” they closely guard is that Mary Magdalene was really the wife of Jesus Christ and was chosen by Jesus to lead His church. She had a child by Jesus and fled to France. The descendants of Christ lived secretly protected by Priory of Sion. The Roman Catholic Church is destroyed if this “secret” is revealed and has thus covered it up for 2000 years. The emperor Constantine manipulated early Christianity to secure & remain in power. Leonardo da Vinci was secretly a leader of Priory of Sion and passed the “secret” in various art works (e.g., “The Last Supper”). Orthodox Christianity is a lie that has been created and perpetuated by the Roman Catholic Church in order to remain in power.

CASA Day, 2006

On Saturday, 04Nov, at team of Sojourners winterized two homes in New Market. We volunteered through the CASA organization - Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound of Madison County. Their purpose is to assist elderly men and women in remaining in their own homes. This particular project is called CASA TEMP$ (temps). Homes across our region arewinterized. This can include:

- installing plastic over windows
- replacing batteries in smoke detectors
- insulating outside water faucets
- installing storm doors

We served two different elderly ladies. One of these ladies, Ms. Bessie, is 93 years young. She was quite a hoot! She kept asking, “Do you want to live to be 93 like me?” She also asked me more than once if I had been baptized.