WATCHWORD:
1 Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! 2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. 3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. 4 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. 5 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! 6 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary. 7 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. 8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Psalm 96:1-8
Meditation:
Values in Conflict
There were times in our lives when we were in conflict with another over matters that may now seem too simplistic or too unimportant, yet at the time it may have fractured a relationship. In retrospect, you may think, “what was I thinking?”
Father William of St. Gregory’s Abbey in Three Rivers, Michigan, recalls, with humor, one of the great theological conundrums of his childhood: What was the real, the true tune for “Away in a Manger”? The Father explains that there were two tunes used at the time of his childhood. The simpler one, favored by the boys because it was simple and was the first version most kids learned first, and a fancier version which seemed to be favored by the girls. This argument over which was the real and true tune, was, at the time, divisive, and a source of conflict, but now seems childish and hardly worth an argument..
Later, Father William came to the clear realization that they were really just singing the same song to different tunes. That seems like such a simple story, one that we can relate to, but one that illustrates a deeper concern for Christians. I favor a liturgical approach to worship. You, on the other hand, may favor a more relaxed and informal worship service. Sometimes we get so ingrained in what we are used to and find comfortable, that we may have a nagging voice in the back of our mind saying “how can they worship that way?”.
Years ago, while vacationing in the Smokey Mountains, I attended a community church service one Sunday morning. We were roundly welcomed, even applauded, as the service continued (for two+ hours), with frequent interruptions of “Amen” and “Preach it Pastor” and “Praise the Lord”, my poor liturgical brain was overwhelmed. I felt at the time I was being distracted from my worship, but, after-the-fact, I realized that we were really just singing the same song to different tunes and styles.
I believe there are nearly 50,000+ versions of Christianity. Which is the real and true version? You would probably get 50,000 candidates. But in reality, we worship one God, and, guess what, we don’t get extra points for style. We worship God. Same song, different tune.
Father William says: “…not all the theological descriptions of Jesus that Christians have come up with fit the gospel story. Some early teachers really did say Jesus wasn’t truly God, some said he wasn’t truly human. Some said that he didn’t f fulfill the Old Testament but exposed it as a fraud, with a phony pseudo-God.” Really? I believe that praise is praise, and doesn’t matter what tune or what language.
There are ways of singing the story of Jesus, which may not fit exactly the words we read in the Bible. In fact may seem to be departures from basic truths, but all praise and give glory to the Lord in their own way, with the gifts we have been given.
Looking for a gift to give the Lord? How about repentance, gratitude, and a determination to do better? Excellent gifts to bring to our Lord at Christmas time. Amen?
Bulletin Board:
This coming Sunday will be the Third Sunday of Advent, and if you are using an Advent wreath you light the Third Candle, usually a pink one, represents Rejoice in the Lord, calling us to be joyful as we await and arrival of our Savior.
I have had such good responses to these Watchwords over the years, and I wanted to remind you that if you have a friend or loved one who you think would find them valuable, feel free to pass it along. You can invite them to join us at: https://bosworth30.com/watchwords/#signup
Closing Prayer:
Father God, every word in scripture points to the gift of hope that we have because of Christ Jesus. The Christmas story wasn’t the beginning of that message of hope because the old testament is full of glimpses of your plan to redeem your people and restore them into a relationship with you, but we are able to truly begin to see and understand just how great your love for us is when we read the story of Jesus’ birth in scripture.
Help us to see that you are with us. Nothing is too difficult, too messy, or too dirty for you. Jesus came to give us the gift of eternal life through the salvation that only you, our Heavenly Father, can give when we believe in your Son, repent of our sins, and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
That first Christmas, you gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thank you, Father, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.
