Americanism vs. Jesus

In 1969, singer Peggy Lee released the song, “Is that all there is?” It was a surprising change for her, from upbeat melodies to a song that questioned whether it was worth going on, if that was all that life had to offer.

It was downright depressing, and ironic because it was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had penned a bunch of happy pop tunes, including “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Yakety Yak,” “Kansas City,” “Leader of the Pack” and “Chapel of Love.”

That song came to mind because Pastor Don used the phrase in a recent sermon in which he questioned the quest for ever more worldly goods. I have been on that quest.

Years ago, feeling under-appreciated at my newspaper, I decided to do some free-lance writing. And not just one article, but an entire trade magazine. Every article in that issue would be by me, interviews with users of the product and the company’s system. The fee would be $2,000 and the promise of future assignments of the same type.

And so I did the work and eventually got paid. But there were no future assignments and no more of the appreciation, which was what I really wanted. What I hadn’t yet learned was that the praise of the world is fleeting, the money spent for who knows what. For example, how many today could tell you anything about H.L. Mencken, an American journalist based in Baltimore and nationally known in his lifetime (1880-1956) for his books and commentary?

Is it wrong to seek fame and national attention? I would say that it depends on what you do with it. If, as we see various celebrities and sports figures doing today, we use fame to raise money for good causes or to argue that the poor and suffering should not be forgotten, then fame can be a good thing.

But it can he hard to step up, to let go of the riches of the world. Consider the conversation Jesus had with the young man who seemed intent on becoming a disciple.

In Luke 18 18-23, the man asks Jesus “what should I do to inherit Eternal Life?”

Jesus replies, “But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and your mother.”

The young man replied he had obeyed all of these since childhood.

Jesus said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all you possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. The come, follow me.”

“But when the man heard this, he became very sad, for he was very rich.”

Unlike the other disciples, who had left their homes and families to follow Jesus, the rich man could not give up his riches in this world for heavenly treasure.

As I’ve become more closely acquainted with the gospels and their lessons, I have tried to absorb this one. But our American culture reinforces the idea that to be successful, we have to put up a good front, to have the newest, the most technologically advanced products. These things have many uses, but chief among them is showing them off to our peers, to demonstrate that we not only have the best, but we understand the technology very well. We seek to show that we are not only well off, but well-versed in the science of these things.

In my case, the risk of getting these things is that I might have to explain why I did.

“Isn’t that a complicated (and complicated) way to make a phone call?” some of my friends might say when I show off my new I-phone. Most don’t, because I am someone who hesitates to get something new when the old still works, So it keep it so long that when it needs work, the tech looks at me as if I’ve brought a Model T into his store, then says, “I’m not sure we can get parts for that anymore.”

At one time there were small shops that specialized in fixing old and outdated products, but most have closed now. I have lamps that are perfectly functional accept for the fact that the cords have disintegrated, dried out by age.

What I need to remember is that there are things that we can accumulate that will never dry out and crumble. Those are the treasures of heaven, as Jesus spoke of in Mathew, Chapter 6, Verse 19: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal.”

Instead, Jesus said, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, which are impervious to the things of this world that corrode worldly goods.

And accumulating heavenly treasures has another benefit, because to do that we must do the right things. And, Jesus said, “For where you treasure is, there will be your heart also.” The shiny car and the gadget-filled phone will eventually end up on the scrap heap, but our hearts will be heaven-bound if we remember what really lasts.

Embracing The Discomfort of Racism

Once Again, Riots

The previous two blogs have been done with topics suggested by the Rev. Don Conley. This one is my own inspiration and may or may not suit the Rev. Don’s plans. However, I think it is a topic Christians need to think about.

Back in 1968 I was a year out of high school and working at the Hecht Company department store when the news came in that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot and killed. Our assignment as stock boys was to go into the warehouse underneath the parking lot and load up big sheets of plywood, which would be used to board up the windows of the downtown store. It didn’t happen; the store was damaged, according to period photos from the Washington, D.C. Library.

We finished loading, then came back to the store, where all the TVs in the electronics section were tuned to coverage of what was happening, with occasional breaks for singer James Brown’s attempts to soothe the troubled nation. That didn’t work, either, although Brown gave a concert the next night in Boston that was telecast live, calming that town for at least one night.

Interesting as that history might be, it doesn’t answer the question of why, more than 50 years later, mass demonstrations are happening around the country. And what obligation do Christians have to do something to make the situation better?

We are called on to love everyone, even our enemies, as Jesus loves us. That includes people of different races, backgrounds and religions, even if the things they do sometimes puzzle us. In this case, millions of people saw a white policeman kneel on a black suspect’s neck for more than eight minutes. Three fellow officers stood by, seemingly oblivious to the protests of bystanders, one of whom was videotaping everything. No wonder people got so upset; not to protest would be to accept what happened as just somebody else’s back luck. 

Even if the man had been guilty of the alleged offense he was stopped for — passing a counterfeit $20 bill — the penalty for that is not — and cannot be — death.

In this sermon June 7, Pastor Don recalled the words from the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” 

Those words refer to those who grieve over their sins, but they also have meaning to those who are grieving the loss of someone’s life. As Christians we know there is another, better world that awaits us, but we still mourn the loss of those we’ve known in this world. What else might they have done here, or said to us? How many of us have said, after the death of a loved one, that we wish we’d spent more time with them?

The loved ones of George Floyd are feeling that loss now and many people of all races are trying to propose solutions to what, in this case, was certainly police brutality. There are many things on the table and I have neither the knowledge or the intelligence to evaluate them. The only thing I know for sure is that what happens will depend on elected officials crafting solutions that will improve things without stirring up more hate. 

Is hate too strong a word?

Is hate too strong a word? No. Imagine this scenario: You arrive for the first time in a new town. You have never been there before, never spoken to anyone who lives there or shopped in any of the local stores. I guarantee this: If you are black, you will be viewed with suspicion and perhaps even become the target of racial taunts. Physical violence is even possible, all because of the pigment of your skin. That’s what black people live with.

So, how do we help resolve the hurt of our fellow citizens and improve our country’s race relations? First we pray, first for ourselves, that we have the wisdom to do the right thing. Then we look for good leaders, those who are servant leaders, as Jesus was. And we need to urge them to do the right thing, even if it’s the hard thing. Sometimes the right thing is not the popular thing and doing it may lead to a loss of high office. 

In the 1950s, when U.S. Sen. Jospeh McCarthy accused many people in government of being communists or communist sympathizers, many were reluctant to call him out. But in 1954, during hearings McCarthy called, attorney Jospeh N. Welch responded to McCarthy’s charge that a young lawyer in Welch’s firm was a communist sympathizer, by saying ""At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" 

During the Red Scare of the 1950s, some Americans were branded as traitors and blacklisted, which made it impossible for them to work. Welch risked a lot by challenging McCarthy. But he did it because it was the right thing to do. I hope as the nation goes forward, there are more leaders who will do the right thing. As Luke said in Ch. 14:25-33, there is a cost to being a disciple. So too there is a cost to doing the right thing, especially when it is not the popular thing.

Bob Maginnis a former newspaper writer. This blog is his opinion and not that of Ringgold Church, its staff or its ministers.

Spirit or Flesh

Spirit or Flesh

When I read the topic sheet for this week’s sermon — Spirit of Flesh — I thought about something I used to do, not so long ago. I am not proud of it, because it doesn’t make any sense, but because I want to be honest, I will tell you about it.

As someone with diabetes, I know it is a dangerous disease. My great-grandfather lost a leg to it. My mother was what they call a “brittle” diabetic. Her blood sugar reading would go from below 100 to 400 or 500, sometimes in a single day.

So, I went to the endocrinologist every six months for a check-up. But after I left the doctor’s office, my first stop was the donut shop, where I treated myself to a Boston Creme donut. Covered with chocolate frosting, it is filled with sweet cream. Delicious, but not what I should be eating. So why did I do it? 

Because I resent having this disease and that there is no magic pill to make it go away.  So, like a child who sticks out his tongue when the teacher’s back is turned, I rebelled in a way that will hurt me, and by extension, those who love me.

This is what Paul is speaking about in the 8th chapter of Romans — doing the right thing even when you don’t want to. It isn’t easy to do the right thing, because the reward for doing it is not available immediately. God doesn’t hand out gold stars or trophies for doing the right thing. I have to have faith that if I do the right thing in this life, I will be rewarded in the next.

How do I do that? How do I resist the chocolate donut of sin?

How do I do that? How do I resist the chocolate donut of sin? In many cases, it is tasty and I can rationalize that if I swallow it now, I will do better tomorrow. 

Paul says I have to change my mindset. “Think of the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” How do I do that? First I have to want it. If I think of the things of heaven and the way of Jesus as something I ought to do, instead of something I want to do, I probably won’t succeed. I need to want to be a better person, to live in a spiritual way and not be caught up in things of the world.

Something that might make it easier: In his book, “Atomic Habits, An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones ,”  James Clear says that associating with people who have the habits you want make it more likely that you’ll pick them up, too. But if I stick with the people who don’t have faith, who don’t treat other people with kindness and don’t share the bounty God has given us with those in need, I am going to slip into their way of life.

It is important that I don’t, because as Paul says “People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.” We are that situation now, with a virus that spreads silently and kills the most vulnerable among us. If I was planning on another 10 or 15 years to enjoy this earthly life and I get COVID-19, what then? I might recover, but as a 70-year-old diabetic, the odds are against me. 

Another part of the sermon deals with being a missionary. I probably wouldn’t pass the physical to go on a missionary journey; they need young folks who have the stamina and the health to go to places where things are not as clean and comfortable as they are in the U.S.

Years ago, I interviewed a Christian missionary couple who had traveled to Muslim countries. Their strategy was not to show up and tell the people in those countries that what they were believing was wrong. No, they showed up and began to do things that helped the local people, like building schools and medical facilities. They did good things, then waited for the people in those countries to ask why they were doing them. Then they had an opening to describe their faith.

But just because I can’t travel to foreign countries doesn’t mean that I can’t be a missionary. If I do what Christians ought to do, to act with kindness and generosity, then someone might ask why I am being so nice. And I might be the only Christian that some people have ever met, so I need to spread the message that there is a better way, without trying to force it on those who have never heard it before. I pray that I will always be a good example to the people I meet.

Grace or Guilt

When Pastor Don Conley asked me to try my hand at a blog on the weekly sermon topic, my response was that I was a sinner, and that some of my sins were not dark secrets, but very public. The pastor told me we are all sinners in need of a Savior and that’s why he wanted me to give this a try.

Because of my years at the newspaper, I am more experienced as a writer than I am at reading the Scriptures. In the past few years, I have been delving into the Bible with the aid of a spiritual adviser who lives in Falling Waters, W.Va. I had occasion to call on him recently after something I read on my Bible app.

When going through the four gospels again, I noticed that when Jesus healed someone, he told the person healed not to speak of it. Why would He do that, I wondered.

My adviser did not know, but promised to consult a woman who was well-versed in such matters. Her answer was that Jesus came primarily to teach, not to heal. That also answered my question about why Jesus came in a time when there was no communications technology to speak of. Had he come in the age of television, I reasoned, his arrival would have been a media circus, as opposed to the appearance of a spiritual teacher.

This week’s sermon features the Apostle Paul, who was not called away from his job as a fisherman. He was a persecutor of Christians and preparing to do as bad or worse to the next batch he came across. Then, as he traveled the road to Damascus, he was knocked off his feet and asked why he was persecuting the Lord. He was struck blind and led into the city, where he prayed and fasted for three days.

Now it does not say what prayer he said, but I would guess it was what we call a foxhole prayer, as in “Dear Lord, get me out of this jam and I won’t do bad things any more.” And if Paul said such a thing, his prayer was answered. Ananias gave him God’s blessing and he recovered his sight and became one of the most powerful preachers of Jesus’ word.

“now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

In Romans 8, Paul writes to those he hopes to see when he reaches the imperial city. He begins by saying there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

This a gift, freely given by God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But it is not a prize like a Mega Millions jackpot that comes with no strings. Want to buy 10 fancy cars with your lottery winnings? Go ahead. If you’ve got the cash, they’ll sell them to you.

But this gift from God does require us to be ‘in Christ.” I can’t be “in Christ” if you worship money or power. I have to be in the family of Jesus and follow him faithfully. When IU’m tempted to sin, I have to stop and think “I can’t do this because I am with Jesus now. I’m leaving all of those material goods behind for a better life.”

Easy to say, hard to do. When Pastor Don speaks from the pulpit, I am inspired to live the right way. But when I’m at Walmart and an employee is acting like he’s in charge of the D-Day invasion when he’s just letting people into the store gradually, I want to say something mean, to puncture his haughty attitude. I am fortunate that the experiences of the past few years have given me a 10-second delay. Then I remember that he has a job to do and people to answer to, just as I do. 

When I am out in the world, I am with many people who aren’t in Jesus’ family. If I want to bring them in with me, I have to behave like a loving Christian. There are many tests out in the world, but if I fail, some may conclude that all Christians are hypocrites.

In the early 1990s, a top official of the United Way was found to be using donated money improperly. Many saw that as evidence that the whole organization was corrupt. Not so. The local agencies had no more to do with that than the corner grocer has to do with the big grocery chains. But donations to local drives fell anyway. I have free will. I can choose to be sarcastic and mean or I can be a loving follower of Jesus. It’s my choice. I pray I always make the right one.