The Longing for Peace, Righteousness, and Rest

Posted on 22 December, 2012 by Jon Gleason

Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.
-Otto von Bismarck

The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood.
=Otto von Bismarck

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
-Jesus Christ our Lord (Matthew 24:6)

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
-Isaiah (Isaiah 9:6)

4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
-Isaiah (Isaiah 11:4-10)

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Puritans, Huguenots, “Christ-Mass,” and “Immanuel’s Day”

Posted on 21 December, 2012 by Jon Gleason

I learned something this week, and I found it interesting.  (This really will be my last post, at least this year, on the “celebrate / don’t celebrate” question.)

Historian David Hackett Fischer (Paul Revere’s Ride) says Puritans were scandalised that French Huguenots (such as Paul Revere’s father) in New England observed Christmas — Puritans objected to the observance and the word.  A Boston magistrate rebuked a man for “partaking with the French Church on the 25 December on account of its being Christmas-day, as they abusively call it.”

These two Calvinist groups with similar doctrine differed, and some Puritan opposition was to the name (though often, their objection was that every day is the Lord’s, so no day should be set aside for particular observances).

Huguenots suffered far worse persecution from Catholics than English Puritans, and would have rejected anything they thought was Catholic.  Yet, they still celebrated a day which at home they had called “Noël.”  They did not view it as a Catholic observance, perhaps in part because that name had no ancient Catholic connotations.

I wonder how much opposition among English-speaking people is and has been based on the name “Christmas.”  As we’ve seen, doctrine by etymology is unbiblical, but if you want to observe the day but don’t like the word, you could always adopt a suggestion I heard once and call it “Immanuel’s Day.”

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Caedmon’s Hymn

Posted on 20 December, 2012 by Jon Gleason

This is the oldest recorded English poem, possibly the oldest extant English text, dating to the seventh century.  The language has changed somewhat 🙂 — here is one version of it in modern English.

Now let me praise the keeper of Heaven’s kingdom,
The might of the Creator, and his thought,
The work of the Father of glory, how each of wonders
The Eternal Lord established in the beginning.
He first created for the sons of men
Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator,
Then Middle-earth the keeper of mankind,
The Eternal Lord, afterwards made,
The earth for men, the Almighty Lord.

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A Proverb for Today — Proverbs 19:7

Posted on 19 December, 2012 by Jon Gleason

“All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him” (Proverbs 19:7).

There is often loneliness in poverty.  Even when the poor aren’t asking for help, often their friends and relatives will avoid them out of guilt that they aren’t helping them, out of regret that they can’t, or sometimes out of a vague fear of unhappiness.

We often cannot solve the poverty, but perhaps we can at least help the loneliness.

Another from today’s chapter in Proverbs:  “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (Proverbs 19:17).

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Solid Reasons to Scrutinise Christmas

Posted on 18 December, 2012 by Jon Gleason

We’ve looked at silly, flawed, and misused reasons to abandon Christmas.  I’d like to take some time to look at reasons to scrutinise / reevaluate Christmas.  These sound Biblical concerns may impact the way we observe the day, or even cause some to quit celebrating it entirely.

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Posted in Rightly Dividing, The Christian and Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Hiding the Evidence

Posted on 17 December, 2012 by Jon Gleason

Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.
-George Eliot

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
-Solomon (Proverbs 17:28)

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Silly Reasons to Abandon Christmas — #4 “It’s the Wrong Date”

Posted on 15 December, 2012 by Jon Gleason

We’ve seen a silly reason to abandon Christmas (the “Christ-Mass” argument), a flawed one (the “pagan / Catholic syncretism” argument), and a good but misapplied reason (the “God didn’t command it” argument).  Now, we return to silly season again.

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Posted in Rightly Dividing, The Christian and Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 89 Comments