The Inn that Missed Its Chance

Amos R. Wells

(The Landlord speaks, A.D. 28.)

What could be done? The inn was full of folks!
His honor, Marcus Lucius, and his scribes
Who made the census: honorable men
From farthest Galilee, come hitherward
To be enrolled; high ladies and their lords;
The rich, the rabbis, such a noble throng
As Bethlehem had never seen before,
And may not see again. And there they were,
Close herded with their servants, till the inn
Was like a hive at swarming-time, and I
Was fairly crazed among them.

Could I know
That they were so important? Just the two,
No servants, just a workman sort of man,
Leading a donkey, and his wife thereon,
Drooping and pale, - I saw them not myself,
My servants must have driven them away;
But had I seen them, how was I to know?
Were inns to welcome stragglers, up and down
In all our towns from Beersheba to Dan,
Till He should come? And how were men to know?

There was a sign, they say, a heavenly light
Resplendent; but I had no time for stars.
And there were songs of angels in the air
Out on the hills: but how was I to hear
Amid the thousand clamors of an inn?

Of course, if I had known them, who they were,
And who was He that should be born that night, -
For now I learn that they will make Him King,
A second David who will ransom us
From these Philistine Romans, - who but He
That feeds an army with a loaf of bread,
And if a soldiers falls, He touches him
And up he leaps, uninjured? Had I known,
I would have turned the whole inn upside down,
His honor Marcus Lucius, and the rest,
And sent them all to stables, had I known.

So you have seen Him, stranger, and perhaps
Again will see him. Prithee say for me,
I did not know; and if He comes again
As He will surely come, with retinue,
And banners, and an army, tell my Lord
That all my inn is His, to make amends.

Alas! Alas! To miss a chance like that!
This inn that might be chief among them all,
The birthplace of Messiah, - had I known!

Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas?

I was so shocked when I heard the statistic on the news that I had to research the finding myself to verify. It's true: 212 million Americans participated in Black Friday 2010. That's 212,000,000. That's two out of every three Americans. Take the elderly and the young and others simply incapable of holiday shopping out of the mix and, well, you apparently have a better chance at getting struck by lightning than finding someone who didn't shop on BF 2010.

What's more, it's estimated that we collectively spent $45 billion on BF. My calculator says that means the average shopper spent about $212 -- what's up with that number? -- on that single day alone. To put it in perspective, $212 can buy, what, about 106 Thanksgiving meals at your local soup kitchen? 212 million x 106 meals = feeding the entire world three square meals.

So we're spending a lot on one another this Christmas. We Americans are really, really good at that. It is ingrained in our conscience that Christmas is gifts. Consider: How many times have you been told about some unemployed person in your family or community, "John's been out of work for a couple months now and his bills are piling up. If we don't help him out by purchasing a few gifts, then his kids might not have a Christmas." I'm not denigrating the need for helping John out in that hypothetical situation, but do you see how we've equated gift buying and receiving with a holiday which celebrates the birth of our Lord? Exactly how did we get to that point?

And yet I sit here less than three weeks from the Big Day and I can't help but notice how Christmas seems to have fallen on hard times lately. I'm not talking about ACLU lawsuits over Nativity Scenes (those bullies!) or how insensitive people are for going all Koine on us and substituting X-mas for Christmas. I'm talking about how it suddenly seems that Christmas has lost its luster, even as we turn out in record numbers to the BF sales.

Children for one seem less excited than those of previous generations. After all, the most spoiled generation in world history already tends to be showered with gifts constantly throughout the year. What's the big deal about another day? Adults are in the same category...we're bored. I mean, how many years is the GPS deal going to be pressed on us as a hot holiday gift idea? Just how many tens of millions of cars already come with an unopened or barely used Tom Tom in the glove compartment? Oh sure, for the high-end buyers there is the novelty of 3-D tv. What's next: scratch-and-sniff?

I don't know, maybe I'm just getting older. In fact, I'm confident that my clumsy transition into adulthood has in some way helped to provoke this blog post. But somewhere deep down I believe that we are witnessing the beginning of the end of Christmas as we've known it since the mid 20th century. If true, this will create a massive void in the American conscience - as well as a massive paradigm shift for retailers who are already resorting to once-unthinkable measures to stave off their own demise.

What will fill the void? It is rather a question of Who. As we wrestle with so many inevitable changes which are threatening to undo our familiar national psyche and values, might we finally have room for the Lord who was first introduced to the world in a barn because there was no room for Him in an inn? I pray so.

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's home was there found
No room for Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus!
There is room in my heart for Thee.

Just Like Startin' Over...

You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing.
- James 4:14

This weekend a lot of attention is being paid to John Lennon, and rightfully so. One can go on and on about the ever-growing impact of Lennon on popular culture. His talents as a musician, song writer, self-promoter, and, especially, as a lyricist are legendary and unequaled in music history. Put it this way: 30 years after her last album, Lady Gaga will not get a Google banner in her honor. Lennon did.

For all of his talent and ingenuity, Lennon lived a life that was filled with neglect and heartache. Abandoned by both his father and, ultimately, mother, Lennon grew up with an aunt in the blue collar, working class town of Liverpool. By all accounts the two celebrities who had the most impact on Lennon during his formative years were James Dean and Elvis Presley. Those two superstars fed the future Beatle's rebellious streak and encouraged the lad to combine music with just enough attitude to become both popular and rich. It worked well, but only after the talented Lennon surrounded himself with other talented musicians and hard working self-promoters.

The ultra-success of Beatlemania ultimately never cured John Lennon's growing sense of disenchantment, and actually seems to have driven him even deeper into the pit. What started out as recreational marijuana use turned into LSD experimentation and a full-blown heroine addiction by the late sixties. While many might argue that drugs made Sgt. Pepper's possible, no one questions that Lennon's creative capabilties began to nosedive by the time he started his use of heroine (see Let It Be).

His marriage to Yoko Ono came about when Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, discovered that the Japanese-American "Conceptual Artist" (whatever that means) had been having an adulterous relationship with John. The Lennon/Ono marriage was rocky from the very start and included periods of hardcore substance abuse, mutual adultery, international controversy, and - lest we forget - more ingenious self-promotion which spanned the first half of the seventies. What lacked during this period for Lennon was any actually good music. So Lennon decided to quit writing music and, legend has it, focus fulltime on rebuilding his relationship with his wife and growing a relationship with his youngest son.

In 1980, after a half decade as a stay at home father, Lennon and Ono released the LP Double Fantasy. Ono's contributions not withstanding, Double Fantasy represents John's best work since Pepper, maybe even Revolver. It is far and away the greatest post-Beatle album by any member of the quartet (All Things Must Pass is a distant #2). Lennon's contributions to Double Fantasy focus on themes such as maturity, forgiveness, family devotion, and fatherly patience...themes which are far more adult oriented than songs about anarchy and class warfare and overblown allusions of a post-religious world. Perhaps these themes from the mind of the aging Lennon were more self-promotion, but perhaps they represent the first indicators of a major cultural shift of the eighties: Baby Boomers growing up and entering reality.

Whatever the case, Lennon's artistic creativity was no longer about fusing youthful rebellion to good music as much as fusing a truer and deeper sense of self-understanding to really good music. Or so one might imagine from those few tracks. Merely a month after the release of Double Fantasy, Lennon was shot dead. Just as he began talking about "Starting Over," his precarious life ended at age 40. Saturday will be his 70th birthday.

What Do We Do With Joel?

Ah, Beeson; how you have come into my thoughts today!

Let me say at the outset that I went to what one might call a interdenominational, evangelical seminary. As such, we had many different views on so many secondary and tertiary issues of Scripture and such. I suppose our diverse student body was the apple of the eye of our ecumenically-minded dean, Timothy George. But we also agreed on a great deal: humans are saved by grace through faith; the Bible is the inspired Word of God; Jesus is the Son of God. On and on.

Oh, and then there's this that we also agreed on: something strange is up with that whole Joel Osteen/Lakewood Church thing. Beeson prided itself as a theological institution waist-deep in historical theology, but most everyone seemed much more knowledgeable on the subject of ol' Joel than, say, Karl Barth. We biblical students seemed to care a lot more about what went on in Joel's pulpit than in, say, the prophecy of the prophet Joel.

Can you blame us? For nearly a decade, Joel O has been setting the standard of success among the prosperity crowd (an accomplishment which won him the cover of, not ironically, a magazine called Success). His church, Lakewood Church of Houston, Tex., was recently described as the most popular church in America by BusinessWeek Magazine. His fingerprints on the canvass of the increasingly diverse world of Protestantism are undeniable and should be studied hard by up and coming ministers.

Osteen and the theological framework he represents are no flashes in the pan, neither. There was a time when I thought, "Oh, that guy's fifteen minutes are going to run out soon. The days of the megachurch are over and the religious hope of material prosperity lives and dies with Wall Street. Besides, he's a pretty awful speaker and he looks funny." But Joel keeps on going.

Why? Because I misunderstood how slowly things both materialize and fade away in the world in which Osteen & Co. operate. Popularity in the field of religion and spirituality and philosophical ideals doesn't die out as quickly as popularity in music and art and fad diets. Katy Perry and Lady Gaga will soon enough go the way of Macy Gray and Pink and Atkins, but apparently not so with our name-it-and-claim-it crowd. You would have thought that a housing crash and subsequent recession would have slowed down the prosperity gospel at least slightly. You'd be wrong. Turns out megachurches of all types are still growing and a whole lot of people are still attracted to the idea that Jesus died to give you a two car garage and a nicer vacation than last year's Caribbean cruise (which still needs to be paid off!).

So, what are we to do with Joel and the movement he epitomizes? Let me say here that I do in fact think his brand of...well...performance is a fad which is destined to die out sooner or later. But when is anybody's guess. I suppose that folks who are attracted to the gospel of prosperity have to live through a few financial or physical crises in order to see that more faith, more works, do not cause the Father to become a genie who grants you your heart's material desires. Ultimately, though, Joel's brand of Christianity will only die out when the church in America receives a clear mind, conscience, and will in the matters of materialism.

The American Dream used to represent the ideal that this nation affords anyone - regardless of one's background - the ability to live a better life in secured freedom. Today the American Dream is no longer an ideal, but rather things which are characterized by white, picket fences and having a good college fund for your kids. It was only a matter of time until this materialization and deterioration of the American Dream entered the church, as it has now in so many. Until the serious-minded Christians of our nation stand up for matters near and dear to our Lord's heart (social justice, a serve others mentality, a "He must increase, I must decrease" worldview, etc.), the deterioration will march on. Change here doesn't begin with our jokes about Joel or our self-righteous charges against the theological errors of the prosperity gospel; it begins with an ad fontes call to Scripture from the pulpit, the Sunday school classroom, and the workplace.

A New Phase of Life and Ministry

Since I surrendered (and that is the appropriate term) to God's call to ministry, I have gone through periods where doubts have sprung up: Is this really the right seminary? How tough will it be to find a ministry position after graduation? Will I be able to raise a family on a pastor's salary? Am I cut out for all the tasks a pastor faces? On and on.

Now there was a time when I would've scoffed at Christians who allowed self-doubt to creep into their minds by thinking something such as, "Obviously, he or she didn't take Philippians 4 into account!" The experiences of the past few years of ministry and education have knocked me down from my self-erected pedestal of what I call 'Believer's Snobbery' as the Lord has worked on me by knocking me down to size and simply saying, over and over again, "Do you trust me?"

Now this question hasn't manifested itself as of yet in some kind of call to Jesus-in-the-water, Peter-in-the-boat type of faith, but it has had its difficult moments. This collective expreience has sharpened my own pastoral sensitivities to those who face periods (for some, eras) of doubt; above all, however, it has taught me to rely, rely, rely on the Lord.

Anyway, the Lord has recently merged the combined life of my wife and me with a wonderful church not too far south of Huntsville, Ala. There are some questions which remain, but the overarching doubt of "Will the Lord really provide for us?" has been answered in a way which can leave no doubt, like a 550 ft. homerun or something.

Now there is still a great amount of growing to go, and I still worry about the mistakes I will undoubtedly make and how they might impact the congregation. Ultimately, though, I have learned through it all that my primary concern must not be about how the Lord will provide for His own, but rather how I can better grow in Him and serve His people. And so I enter this new phase of life and ministry recognizing that we serve an amazing Lord and Savior who unquestionably provides for His own in His own way and time. Praise the Lord!

Removing the Mask

The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. -Romans 14:17-19

We all know just how rich and developed Paul's theology is in his letter to the Romans, but when one reads through then entire epistle one can't help but feel that Paul's most immediate concern for that diverse group of believers in the ancient world's most cosmopolitan city is for church unity. Chapter 12's line-of-thinking commences with a short Greek word which most English Bibles translate as "therefore," and seems to be Paul's way of saying, "Now that I've established this rich theological stuff, here's why all that stuff is important." We in the church cannot discard the latter chapters of Romans, though we are often guilty of it.

Now the above quote is from Romans 14, and it caps off Paul's rather striking argument that views on food practices should not divide the Body of Christ. Imagine the shock that it must've been to the Jewish contingency of the church to hear Paul - that self-proclaimed member of the tribe of Benjamin - basically telling them, "I know what Leviticus says, but kosher-smosher! Let's spend more time building one another up rather than tearing each other down."

If I were a Jewish believer in Rome, I would've had to find a way to send a letter back to Paul (who, by the way, hadn't even visited the Roman church to that point) demanding a more satisfactory explanation than chapters 14-15 give. I would've needed more than "make every effort to be a peacemaker in the Body of Christ." That's far too idealistic - naive, really - for me. But such is the call which not only went out to the Jews and Gentiles which worshiped in opposition at Rome, but to the church today as well. Forget denominational fractions, our local churches can't even get past petulant quarrels when all who are involved agree on the consequences of not having a singular focus.

This past Sunday I again witnessed the powerful devastation which occurs when members of the body abandon peace and mutual edification for the sake of individual pride, ego, and comfort. There were no winners - everyone was a loser in this one. Although shock was the initial emotion felt by most people, it is only a matter of time before anger bubbles over and chokes out any momentum which this particular church has been given by the Spirit to save souls and disciple children of God.

Still, there are signs even in this tragic situation that something good and powerful can come about through this experience. But as long as we use our secondary and tertiary differences to mask our dislike of one another (which is the true foundation of the situation mentioned above), the church will never realize her full potential, and the cause of Christ will be weakened by the very people who claim the Name.

What a Difference Sixty-Six Years Make

Just when you thought that the envelope can't possibly get pushed any further...

For all the low, crude, and downright ugly moments in the still-banal history of basic cable, June 6, 2010, stands out as something special...at least until the next awards show on MTV. Although relatively few Americans actually watched the program last night, once again this year's MTV Movie Awards has the internet abuzz with discussions about where - if anywhere - the line should be drawn between common decency and the freedom to do or say whatever one pleases on a channel which unashamedly caters to pre-teens, teenagers, and the odd young adult. While MTV (that network which stopped living up to its acronym about fifteen years ago) will never be confused with family values, the remarkable amount of obscenity on last evening's program shows an absolute contempt for anything remotely pure or valued. And they will find new - check that; there's nothing new under the sun when it comes to sin - ways to push the envelope even further in the future.

As hard as it is for some of my generation to believe, our nation - our world - hasn't always had to deal with this kind of thing. It occurred to me yesterday morning that this very same day was the 66th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of the Normandy region of France. I can't think of two more dramatically opposed pictures than when comparing the biggest event of June 6, 1944, to the most talked-about event of June 6, 2010. What a difference 66 years make.