In a popular 1965 Broadway musical set in tsarist Russia, the main character insisted that tradition provided balance in the villagers’ lives and that, without traditions, their lives would be “as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” Traditions are indeed comfortable and somehow reassuring. If we leave the security of the customs we have grown up with, we feel shaken and a bit unstable, as Tevye so eloquently said. Tradition plays a powerful role in the customs that various cultures embrace. … [Read more...] about Christmas: Does It Matter?
Christmas
New Year’s Day
In just a few days, the world will celebrate New Years Day. Billions of people will participate either by watching through mass media or physically joining in the festivities. To the masses, this practice is secular, enjoyable, and serves as a time to bring the world together. On the surface, this may appear to be true, however, we only need to do a small amount of research to quickly find this is not the case. In 45 B.C., Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, now known as the Julian Calendar, … [Read more...] about New Year’s Day
Christmas Trees: Authentic Worship?
I would like you to think through the question in the title of this message because I think it will lead us to a place of agreement. My first question is really, Are you authentic? Do you value authenticity in other people? Honesty, integrity, consistency? I think we’d all agree that we value those characteristics in others, and I think we probably generally think of ourselves as that sort of person. Truth matters even in popular culture such as the phrase “keep it real”. The idea … [Read more...] about Christmas Trees: Authentic Worship?