Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A Roasted Turkey Is A Fixture ---- But, Have Other Things About Thanksgiving Day Been Evolving?

In 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated after their first harvest in the New World, and some Americans call this the "First Thanksgiving."  Wikipedia tells us that the first Thanksgiving feast was held at the Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts, lasted three days, and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.

Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag tribe, was one of the guests. He had taught the Pilgrims how to catch eel and grow corn, and served as an interpreter for them. Squanto had learned English while being taken around Europe as a curiosity and during travels in England.  In addition, the Wampanoag leader Massasoit donated food stores to the fledgling colony during the first winter when supplies brought from England were insufficient.

It was already an established practice in Europe to hold feasts celebrating such blessings as a military victory, the end of a drought, or a successful harvest.  For some, it was probably seen as a religious event, for others it was perhaps a time to let off steam and "party."

The Pilgrims held another Thanksgiving celebration on July 30, 1623, after a long and nearly catastrophic drought ended with a refreshing 14-day rain, and assured a large harvest.  This 1623 Thanksgiving was significant because the order to recognize the event was from the Plymouth Colony's Governor William Bradford (a civil authority) and not from the church, making it likely to be the first civil recognition of Thanksgiving in New England.

Wikipedia continues: "Irregular thanksgivings continued after favorable events, and days of fasting after unfavorable ones.  In the Plymouth tradition, a thanksgiving day was primarily a church observance, rather than a feast day.  But such thanksgiving days would have a civil observance linked to the religious one, as in 1623.  Gradually, an annual Thanksgiving after the harvest, developed in the mid-17th century.  This did not occur on any set day or necessarily on the same day in different colonies in America."

Then, in the middle of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November, 1863, "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficial Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."  Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been observed annually throughout the United States.

But in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the traditional celebration date from the last Thursday in November.  In 1939, November had five Thursdays (instead of the usual four), and Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving Day rather than the last one.  With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought an earlier Thanksgiving would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas, helping the economy recover from the Depression.

Over the years, a number of traditions have grown up around Thanksgiving, that have no relationship to the event's early religious and civil intention.  For most Americans who celebrate with a Thanksgiving feast, a roasted turkey is the center of attraction on the dinner table. Perhaps it was back in the era of President Harry Truman when the annual practice began for the President to "pardon" a live turkey, who would thus escape "capital punishment" and thereafter live out it's days on a nearby, peaceful farm.

In addition, many high school and college football teams will play their final games of the season on Thanksgiving Day or on the days immediately following.  This is facilitated by the common practice of employers to give workers as much as a four-day weekend.  Also, for many children, the big event of the weekend will be the annual Thanksgiving Day parade televised from New York City --- but with much more emphasis on entertainment than on thankfulness for the year's bounty.

For many religiously-inclined Americans, the annual Thanksgiving celebration reminds us once again to thank God for the rich bounty we find in our lives, whether material or spiritual.  But many of us do say such prayers of thanks throughout the year.  So, for such folks, perhaps the really unique gift of Thanksgiving is the strong sense of community with others, which it fosters.

The "community" around the Thanksgiving dinner table may be family, neighbors or just good friends ---- but, at this time of the year we make a real effort to be there, even if we need to fly in from a distant place.  Young and old gather.  The aroma and food delicacies create relaxed conversation and sweet recollections of people and times from the past.  In our very mobile and digitized America, has Thanksgiving Day reinvented itself yet again ---- morphing into an annual, not-to-be-missed day of COMMUNITY?

Think about the "First Thanksgiving" in 1621, where the Native American guests outnumbered the Pilgrims nearly two to one.  The Pilgrims were not just celebrating and thanking God for their bounty ---- they were recognizing that "community" with others had truly enriched their lives.  Isn't that true for us today?  While the publicly-stated purpose of Thanksgiving has not changed, it would seem appropriate to equally acknowledge the gift of community with others, that the Pilgrims could see from the very beginning.

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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this fall at CPC.
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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Should We Do More In Helping Others?

I remember one summer about ten years ago, when my wife and I were volunteers for a week on an Indian reservation in Montana.  Part of our assignment was to perform tasks like unpacking books and supplies for the book store, delivering "meals on wheels" to some Indian families, and tutoring some of the kids.  Importantly, we were also asked to engage the residents, and to mutually share what challenges and successes we saw in our respective lives.  The residents were encouraged to do the same.  Out of these conversations, I began to see differently these low-income residents of the Reservation.

One thing I learned is that shame is a major part of the brokenness that low-income people experience in their relationship with themselves.  Instead of seeing themselves as being created in the image of God, low-income people often feel they are inferior to others.  This can paralyze the poor from taking initiative and from seizing opportunities to improve their situation, thereby locking them into permanent material poverty.

At the same time, because I was able to afford this venture, and lived comfortably in Summit, New Jersey, I realized that I also suffered from a deficiency  Specifically, I was a candidate to have a kind of "god-complex," a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority in which I could believe that I had achieved my "wealth" through my own efforts and that I had been anointed to decide what was best for low-income people, whom I might view as inferior to myself.  

Few of us may be conscious of having a "god-complex," but that may be part of the problem.  Are we often deceived by our own sinful natures?  For example, consider why do we want to help the poor?  Really think about it.  What truly motivates you?  Do you really love poor people and want to serve them?  Or, do you have other motives?

I confess that part of what motivates me to help the poor is my felt need to accomplish something worthwhile with my life, to be a person of significance, to feel I have pursued a noble cause, perhaps to be a bit like God.  It makes me feel good to use my resources to "save" poor people.  And in the process, I guess I sometimes unintentionally reduce poor people to objects that I use to fulfill my own need to accomplish something.  It is a very ugly truth, and it pains me to admit it, but "when I want to be good, evil is right there with me."  (Romans: 7:21)

The way we act toward the economically poor often communicates (unintentionally) that we feel superior and that they are inferior.  In the process, we hurt the poor and ourselves.  Importantly, this dynamic may be particularly strong wherever middle-to-upper-class North American Christians try to help the poor, given the tendency for such Christians toward a Western, materialistic perspective of the nature of poverty.

This is not to say we shouldn't help the poor.  We just need to remember that God created all of us ---- the poor and the not-so-poor.  Perhaps we have been lucky, perhaps we have worked hard and been well-focused in our lives.  But, how much is truly our earned reward, and how much has come to us by the grace of God ---- and thus must be shared?

Are the opportunities we are born into, a gift of God?  I was fortunate in being born into a college- educated family,and then I was admitted to a challenging college, where I could discover my gifts and develop marketable skills.  Sure, I could have wasted these opportunities, but that would have been in conflict with the culture of my family and those I socialized with.

What if others had not laid out for me this path of growth and personal development?  I would be a very different person today, and perhaps struggling.  Indeed, I did work hard and I did apply myself, but others provided me some great opportunities.

Do you wonder whom you should thank for your opportunities in life?  Perhaps there were hundreds of such providers, each of whom did something, contributed a little piece of the big picture, that formed today's YOU.

Let's think of helping others beyond their mere survival ---- how can we engineer opportunities for personal development that prior generations of struggling populations were not even aware were possible?  Perhaps this is the next chapter in the ongoing story of our help to others.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this fall at CPC.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: For You, Who Is "the light of the world; a city on a hill . . ."?

The Essenes were a Jewish separatist group active from about BC 170 until the Roman Legions disbursed them in AD 68.  They had intentionally moved out of Jerusalem and fled to the mountains and wilderness bordering the Dead Sea.  Their goal was to isolate themselves from the prevailing life style of other Jews living in Jerusalem.

The Essenes sought to create a new system of spiritual purity, by isolating themselves from what they saw as the spiritual darkness of the Hellenistic life style that was pervading Jerusalem.  They were seeking a right relationship with the God of the Old Testament, by removing themselves completely from a non-believing society.

As Christians, we sometimes think that if we could just retreat from the distractions "of life in the world," we could live a holy life.  Do you think it is possible for normal, ordinary people to live holy lives today in the midst of a secular culture so filled with spiritually dark temptations?

The Jewish people had been captives on and off for centuries, so they knew how easy it was to lose one's spiritual purity during a forced integration into a different culture and set of religious values.  Their answer had been to bond together, isolate as best they could and support each other in honoring their God, Yahweh. 

While Christians draw much of their faith from the Old Testament and ancient Jewish practices and tradition, a very striking difference was introduced by Jesus.  After the Crucifixion, Jesus appeared to his disciples and instructed them in The Great Commission:  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you  .  .  .  ."  (Matthew 28:19 - 20).

What would the Essenes have said if Jesus had given them The Great Commission?

Once Jesus accomplished his work of redemption (by means of the Crucifixion), the challenge for his followers was not to separate from the world, but to take the good news of redemption into the world.  In Matthew 5:14 - 16 we see that Jesus illustrated by metaphor the role his disciples were to have in the world:

          "You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither
            do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its 
            stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let 
            your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise
            your Father in heaven."

Turning to some spiritual practices of today, it is interesting to consider the way the Pennsylvania Amish sect of Christianity relates to the secular world.  The Amish are conservative (some would say "old fashioned"), emphasizing humility, family, community and separation from the non-Amish world.  This includes a reluctance on the part of some Amish to adopt modern conveniences such as automobiles and electricity.  However, it is estimated that some 30,000 Amish people currently live within the area around Lancaster, PA.

Amish beliefs are taken very seriously.  They call for making a conscious choice to accept God. Accordingly, only adults are baptized.  Importantly, the Amish also believe in the all-encompassing and literal, authority of the Bible, and they believe in a philosophy of brotherhood
and non-resistance, as well as the importance of family and community.

Many Amish wear distinctive Amish-style clothing, and "Old Order" Amish are conspicuous for not making use of "worldly" conveniences.  In the Lancaster, PA area, one can see today some practicing Amish driving a horse and buggy on the public highway.

To preserve the Amish identity and maintain spiritual harmony, it is said that members are encouraged to surrender their personal aspirations for the sake of "community purity."  These ideals are maintained by keeping all work, play, worship, commerce and friendship within the Amish orbit.  They prohibit habits that feed individualism, greed and other common secular tendencies.

On the other hand, their "extreme" non-conformity in the midst of secular cultural/spiritual values could serve as a conspicuous spiritual reminder to the rest of us.  While the Essenes tried to live "spiritually pure" lives by being removed from the secular world, the Amish seem to have a much greater challenge by living immersed in today's secular culture.

Do you think the Pennsylvania Amish are indeed living out the call of Jesus to be "the light of the world; a city on a hill  .  .  ."?  In today's world, how different culturally can other people be, before we stop taking seriously their spiritual example?
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal growth this winter at CPC.
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Wednesday, November 5, 2014

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: What To Do About Iraq's Persecuted Christians?

Recently, several of my friends have expressed frustration that the PC(USA) seems silent on the violent persecution of Christians in Iraq, Syria and other places in the Middle East.  They cite statements by Pope Francis and other leaders voicing concern that in Arab lands religious intolerance is on the rise ---- but my friends say they do not find leaders in the PC(USA) being similarly quoted in the media.

Frankly, what can the PC(USA) actually do?  While some people would like to see our political leaders use armed force to protect the threatened Christians, President Obama has made it clear that there will be no "boots on the ground" from the U.S.  Therefore, for many of the challenged Christians, they will need to remove themselves to a safer place ---- perhaps to a different country.

I recently read a story in The International New York Times entitled "Mosul's Christians find shelter in Jordan."  The story told of three Christian families from the area around Mosul, Iraq, who had fled to Jordan, forced out by Islamic State (ISIS) fighters who had given them little choice.  After capturing the city last June, these militants had given the Christians one day to make up their minds:  convert to Islam, pay a tax, or be killed.  The Times said that over 4,000 Iraqi Christians from Mosul had come to Jordan in the past  three months.

Interestingly. The Times says that King Abdullah II of Jordan, a close American ally, has made the need for the continued presence of multiple religions in the Middle East a major talking point in recent years.  But King Abdullah has done more than just talk!  When the Islamic State (ISIS) stormed into Mosul, the Jordanian government threw open their country to Iraq's Christians despite rising tensions at home over waves of Syrian refugees whose presence has increasingly burdened ill-prepared Jordanian communities.

The article in The International New York Times went on to say that hundreds of the new and often traumatized Christian refugees now live in community halls in seven churches in Amman and nearby Zarga, trying hard to make do in places with little privacy or even enough necessities like toilets.  Many of the other Christian refugees are living several families to a home, paying rent with their own money or with aid from international charitable organizations.  Many more are crammed into refugee camps in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

Besides providing shelter, various local churches feed the refugees with hearty portions of rice and vegetables paid for by the churches and by foreign charitable organizations.  However, the latest Christian arrivals are not allowed to work in Jordan.  This is an attempt to ensure they do not stay indefinitely in a country that previously granted citizenship to a large population of displaced Palestinians.  Mostly, says The Times, displaced Christians appear haunted by the abrupt end to their lives in Iraq and to a Christian tradition that had survived in Mosul for more than 1,700 years.

So, is the PC(USA) actually doing anything to aid these displaced Christians?  The answer is YES.  It is not big, eye-catching, headline-fetching work ---- instead it is to provide resources and leadership on the "ground" level.  PC(USA) facilitates more of a "people-to-people" approach. Here is an example:

Last August, members of CPC's "Members In Mission" Team, hosted a luncheon meeting with Greg and Chris Callison, PC(USA) missionaries based in northern Iraq.  They were on home leave and visiting some twenty East Coast Presbyterian churches to tell the story of their Iraq outreach and to raise money to further their efforts to support displaced Christians.  Their story was compelling.

The CPC Mission Team voted to give an unplanned $1,000 outright, and an additional sum to PC(USA) headquarters to help fund the Callison's pensions and travel expenses.  This is a small sum, but if all 20 churches did the same, the total would go far in the Middle East.

The Callisons are each ordained Presbyterian ministers who have served in Iraq for several years,  They are in their fifties, and are husband and wife.  Not only are they fluent in the Arabic language, but it was clear from their luncheon presentation that their hearts are really into this difficult (and sometimes dangerous) Christian-to-Christian, person-to-person support work.

The Callisons said they hoped that each of the churches they were to visit on the East Coast would support the Callison's work with some kind of direct financial grant.  The Callisons said they realized that the PC(USA) in Louisville was already overwhelmed with financial requests from worthy causes ---- to fight poverty, cure disease, etc., and to tell the story of Jesus, all in a very needy world.

The CPC Mission Team was touched by this person-to-person relief effort by the Callisons as PC(USA) missionaries.  It seemed to touch our hearts more deeply than just voting to write a check to Louisville.  The CPC Mission Team continues to look for more person-to-person opportunities to carry Christ's message, whether at home or overseas.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this fall at CPC.
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