Merry Christmas and God Bless Us, Everyone!

The last time I wrote it was a piece about William and Kate's newborn child.  I kind of compared it to the birth of Jesus.  Just read it again today and thought about tweeting it out again, but, hey, it's probably time to write something new.

This time just short of two weeks before Christmas can be stressful for some, hopeless for some, joyful for many. The 'OFFICIAL KICK-OFF"for the season is, of course, Black Friday which is now on Thanksgiving Thursday. Perfect.

There was a time when gift-giving on Christmas was a time to indulge your kids, sure.  Mom and Dad would get each other a little something, plus each of the parents would give the kids some money to buy something for the other parent.  A boxed shirt and tie set, maybe some Hai Karate after shave, a boxed Windsong perfume and powder gift box, maybe a pin or brooch.

Christmas Eve was a night for church; my dad ONLY went to church on Christmas Eve.  Even when he died his funeral was at the funeral home and not in a church.  Mom and sis went regularly (to church not the funeral home); I was more like my dad then.

Christmas morning was a magical time when stuff appeared out of nowhere for us.  Stockings had a few coins, an apple or orange, a candy bar.  There was new underwear, new shirts and pants and of course wonderful toys.  One year a race-car set, one year a Lionel Train, clock-radios (Imagine! A radio with a clock in it!) every year had the big gift and then basically new clothes to wear to school.  (Jerry Seinfeld talks about Chanukkah and receiving little gifts for eight days, a pen, some pencils, a notebook, basically a back-to-school holiday).

We have really created a "Sport of Christmas" where we rush for the new electronics, toys, styles, fashions, for some folks cars with giant bows in the driveway, trips to St. Moritz and more.  It seems many of us are trying to win at Christmas.

The gift part of Christmas is modeled after the Three Wise Men (Magi or Magicians) who visited Jesus, Mary and Joseph about 1-2 years after his birth, following the star that appeared the night of his birth.  They brought Him gifts that they would bring a king, expensive spices, incense and gold, none of which the young family could have ever afforded.

It sounds old-fashioned and out-of-style to ask people to remember the birth of Jesus the savior at least for a moment or two on Christmas day.  Sure, be with your family, rally around the tree and open your gifts, have a nice dinner. As you celebrate Christmas, though, perhaps you can offer wonderful gifts to those who could never have afforded them, either through an organization or adopting a needy family.

As you celebrate Christmas remember this true story of a baby born in a stable; a child born to a young woman who would say, "I am the Lord's handmaiden, let it be as you have said" when told she would become pregnant by the Holy spirit and give birth to this son, Jesus, the Christ, Emmanuel.

This child grew into manhood and would live a sinless life; never did anything wrong.  He was God in the flesh; He came to show people God's love and His reality to those who would listen.  Then He took God's punishment for sin upon himself, that anyone who believes in Him would avoid that punishment and be able to stand in the Presence of God one day. 

As you celebrate Christmas and this Holiday Season remember the birth of the One who will return one day, when there won't be anymore war; even sorrow and weeping will be gone. We have this time of our lives to accept or reject this child this savior.  God gave us free will; He allows us the option to choose. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ to die once for all for the forgiveness of sins. This Christmas rejoice in the birth, life, death and resurrection of the Savior of the World.  What joy we should have that God loves us so much...just because. Christmas is a great time to renew a belief (maybe look into it for the first time) and feel God's great love for you personally and everyone else in the world, too. Merry CHRISTmas. 

King of England vs King of Kings

On an otherwise uneventful night some time ago a newly married couple takes refuge in a barn.  The young woman probably still in her teens is in labor.  They couldn't find a better place to stay.  The man probably near 30 years old comforts his pregnant wife, both certain of a birth to come but a bit uncertain of the child's future.

Nine months prior the couple who were engaged but not married found out the young woman was pregnant. The woman and her fiance had never been intimate. He stayed with her even with the stigma that accompanied the young woman. 

Okay, you might have guessed the story...it's the birth of Jesus.  The first of those outside the barn to know about the birth were shepherds.  These shepherds could not have been much lower in social status.  They were the least in terms of education, social graces and respect, probably.  They often smelled like the flocks they tended, slept outside and many times would not speak to another human other than when a few of them would congregate for safety and companionship with their flocks.  Safety in numbers from the dangers of the night, perhaps.

Well many heavenly host appeared to these resting shepherds this night.  These rough and tumble men would leave their flocks to check out for themselves the amazing announcement of a very special birth.  Imagine leaving the very flocks you were paid  to watch; you could be jailed, even killed if something happened to the animals.  But these shepherds knew there was more at stake.

Over the past nine months the world has anticipated the birth of a king...3rd in line perhaps but a young king nonetheless.  His mother in her late 20's and his father the Prince are now proud parents of a little boy who one day would be King George. The first to know about this birth other than the parents, scores of doctors and nurses was the Queen of England, then the entire world. This baby is some 30-50 years away from the throne but you can bet we will be able to view each birthday, each vacation, graduation, milestone including the gaffes from now till the boys' days are over.

Let's face it.  This boy will be King of England should he outlive his grandfather and father.  He will be the most famous of all the royals on Earth followed by tabloids, entertainment reporters and royal groupies.  This child as he grows and upon coronation will have about as little to do with running a kingdom as I do. But for some reason even those of us in the States will be fixated on this royal family.

It is perhaps a good time now to remind everyone in the US that our country became separate from England in part to split from the King of England.   It seems weird to celebrate a monarch whose relatives ticked us off so much we kicked his people out of an entire nation.

Well the young royal will grow up with palaces, great vacations and education along with a seemingly endless bucket of money and privilege.  I'm not complaining, I would have liked to have such opportunities and probably would have handled them worse than even Prince Harry.

When we go back to the child born in the barn we find he grew up in the home of a carpenter.  While a nice profession a carpenter was above shepherds but still low in status.  Joe and Mary would not be on the social register.  Let's face it, his mom was a young girl "in trouble" in a time when you could get stoned (rocks not dope) for being pregnant out of wedlock.  His dad almost left the girl, but was persuaded to stay.   Great love there.  Nice work Joey.

This child as he grew up would be obedient to his parents, work with his dad and learned the basics of his faith.  He would not enjoy an endless bucket of money, schools or privilege.  While people were amazed that this child had such a great understanding of his faith, greater than even the teachers, they did not make the connection between this boy and a king.  Even when some would say he was the promised king of the ancient scriptures most poo-pooed this notion, his beliefs and lifestyle.

The child grew into a man.  A man who had no home, no possessions, no job.  He relied totally on his Father-the One who sent his son with a message for a lost world.  The man knew those who He came to save would turn him over to the officials.  He would then willingly accept a death penalty to honor his Father and grant all others who choose to acknowledge Him immunity from that same sentence.

One boy is born and is anointed king.  He is destined for notoriety, wealth, even fame just because of a birthright.  One child is born in poverty and gains some notoriety in life but is as much despised as adored.  One child lives a life of opulence and entitlement, one a sinless life that he willingly gives up for all who would trust in him.

The world looks at the young King George and celebrates.  This king-to-be will appear at state ceremonies, speak to adoring crowds and return to his palace.  He will be honored and revered by most and yes despised by some.  Most look at the royals and wish we  could live such a life.  It looks good from the outside, doesn't it?

The world doesn't give much thought to the child born so many years ago.  The child born to be truly King of Kings and gave his life for all has been forgotten by most, despised by many, adored by some.  Most of us look at Jesus and can't imagine living such a life.  It doesn't look very glamorous from the outside, does it?

You don't need faith to believe in young King George.  He's already been out there for people to see.  You do need faith to believe in Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Alexander the Great and even Jesus.  Jesus' life is as real as any of the others and whose death and resurrection leaves a legacy of forgiveness, compassion and of eternal life. 

    

When do we save the Children?

A deranged young man Adam Lanza killed 20 children and 6 adults on December 14th, 2012.  He killed himself rather than facing justice.  He also killed his mother prior to heading to Sandy Hook Elementary School.

We look for someone to blame in these cases.  But since the gunman and his mother are dead, we look to the guns as the blame for these deaths, because there is no person to prosecute, no one at whom to point fingers.

In Detroit Semeria Greene stabbed her 8-year old daughter just before the new year and days before her daughter's birthday.  At least one of her other young children witnessed the killing.  Semeria Greene was arrested and charged.  We have someone to blame.  We are not blaming the knife or crying out for the banning of certain types of knives.  We have someone at whom to point fingers and cry out "Shame!" and "Murderer!"

Susan Smith put her two children in a car and sent that car into a lake in South Carolina, killing the children.  She is in jail, we had someone to blame.  No one suggests that cars kill people.  We can look at her and shake our heads and think "Murderer!"

On December 3rd in Detroit D'Andre Lane was sentenced in the 2011 murder of his 2-year old daughter Bianca Jones, allegedly because she wet her bed.  He was convicted of beating her, placing her body in an incinerator and inventing a car-jacking story to cover the crime. We have somone at whom to point fingers, to cry out "Murderer!"

I grieve for all these children.  I don't understand how a stranger or a parent could cause such violence to anyone, and especially against innocent  children.  Whatever the weapon, whatever the cause, the killing of children affects all of us who hear the reports.  We need a villian, we need to make someone responsible, and I believe we feel cheated when the perpetrator kills themself, as Adam Lanza did, and we have to find another avenue for our rage.

VP Biden is looking to craft some kind of weapons legislation, to avoid another Sandy Hook.  Guns are the villians here, since we can't put someone on trial.  Those groups and indiduals like the NRA are villified; an angry nation requires a pound of flesh to somehow make a horrible situation better.

I do not now nor have I ever owned a firearm. Not my style. My Step-Father Harold some twenty years ago sold his collection of rifles and handguns. He was an NRA member, and sent a letter to the NRA indicating that "people are no longer responsible enough" for him to risk having his weapons fall into the hands of someone bent on evil. I applauded him; this military sharp-shooter whose affinity for rifles came from his military training. He was not a hunter; he was trained to shoot people. He had a loaded handgun on his bookshelf headboard on his bed.  Harold never killed anyone.

It's a horrible tragedy when people die in an violent act. When children are involved, it tears at our hearts and makes us demand answers, demand changes.  But what about other violence against children?

Since the Sandy Hook tragedy on December 14th, a span of 27 days, 10 of which were Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, a conservative number of 68,000 (yes, 68,000) unborn children were killed by abortion in the United States.  Who do we point fingers at and cry out "Shame!"?  How many fundraisers are there for these innocents?

Womens' Groups cry out against the selective abortion of female children in China.  At least half of the US abortions are female children; where is the outcry? Who can I blame for these deaths?  What legislation can I cry out for from VP Biden, from my Congress?

Why is the killing of 20 children in Sandy Hook a national tragedy but the killing of some 4,000 other children that same day looked at as "a woman's choice of what to do with her own body?"  Why are D'Andre Lane, Semeria Greene and Susan Smith murderers, along with Adam Lanza if those 4,000 other children killed each day do not matter?

See, for many of us, all life is precious.  I grieve for the children and families of those killed at Sandy Hook, as I grieved for the children killed in the federal building in Oklahoma, as I grieved for Bianca Jones and Tameria Greene (Semeria's daughter) I also grieve for those victims of abortion, whose lives for some reason are less important than others.

Please understand, I'm not trying to downplay the horrific tragedy of the Sandy Hook murders.  I am a father of two (grown) children.  I try to put myself in the shoes of parents whose children die through accidents, illnesses or violence imagining if it was my kids, and I cry.  It would be hard to ever lead a normal life after such a loss, such a senseless unexplainable loss as in the case in Connecticut.  I pray for the families of all the victims, as I do for the family of Bianca Jones and Tameria Greene and  the scores of others.  And I thank God my family has been safe.

When we decide the deaths of some innocent children require new and stronger governmental regulations but in the same breath fight any regulation regarding the deaths of other unborn children, it smacks as hypocritical.  If the senseless killing of 20 children in Connecticut, 2 in Detroit and 2 more in South Carolina demand a pound of flesh, what about the 4,000 lives cut short daily in the name of "choice"? 

I suppose as my liberal friends would suggest that I just don't have the intelligence nor sophistication to undertand the obvious difference between the value of some children's lives versus others.  I hope I never do.