Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Sumatra

Good Lord. 60k dead and climbing. Islands moved out to sea. This earthquake was biblical in its proportions. The level of dead and devastation could produce even more misery for months and years to come. Fears now are in regard to disease outbreak with millions at risk.

Give now to help

|

Monday, December 27, 2004

The Baptism Question|more

Still digging into this question... Any with answers, I'd appreciate hearing from. Did find this in Luke 3 which adds a new wrinkle to my earlier questions:

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was
praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form
like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with
you I am well pleased.”


Hmmmm. So after Jesus (30 years old) was baptized in water he was baptized by the Holy Spirit? This after leading a very righteous life per Luke. Wasn't he already prepared for his ministry? The Bible is like a perpetual onion - layers upon layers upon layers. True comprehension is approaching(???) Perhaps I'm making way too HUGE a deal of all this debate, but I'm not one for idle ritual. In my case right now, that's what a Baptism would be. God would know what it meant - or didn't as the case may be. I want to be obedient to Him, so that excludes lying to Him just to show I'm part of the "family" as Rick Warren suggests. Not that I'm saying Warren advocates insincerity, I'm sure his intentions are good. He just bugged me, that's all. Besides, my family ties are pretty darn good.

I think maybe I need to see what the disciples did as they were prepared for the 'straight path' leading up to that fateful day in Jerusalem. My man Paul after that, and his baptism-by-Spirit on the Damascus Road. Come to think of it, there are lots of "Baptisms-by-Spirit" in the Bible; Abraham visited by the "Three Visitors," Jacob (aka Israel) wrestling with God, Moses and the Burning Bush, and so on. Now those are baptisms that would significantly alter one's life, I would think.

|

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Little Nicky??? Are U Kiddin' me??

Unbelievable! What's really creepy is the name of this cat is the same as the character Adam Sandler played in his hopefully most forgettable and most disturbing movie.

Oh that's cute: "Genetics Savings and Clone" Very witty. Reduces a ethical debate down to a pun. Clever.


|

So it's Christmas (war)time!

Merry Christ-mas!!! Happy Holy-days!!!! Savior's Greetings!!!

"Why those are subversive statements those are!!" Once again, dear friends into the breech on a time of year that should make everything clear. Groannn, it's not to be (again). Several times in the past few days I've gleefully said, "Merry Christmas!" in parting to people. Thankfully, a smile and a return "Merry Christmas" was received back. On more than one occassion, however, a stony look or uncomfortable grimace was the response. Here in public service, I'm waiting for an officer from the Thought Police to bust down my office door, pin me to the ground and advise me of my non-rights as I'm arrested for being un-PC. That's hyperbole of course, but the public sector is quite keen on being inclusive to all, which means it must be exclusive to all to successfully pull off that feat! What a bland, boring, tedious existence for a culture that claims to "celebrate diversity," or depravity as the case may be.

Welll, Newsweek sure stirred it up this year with the December 13 "story" Religion: The Birth of Jesus by Jon Meachum. The article itself just struck me as silly and yet sparked quite the blaze. The fire rages across the media - new and old:

John Leo with US News & World Report shares his adventures in Commercial World during this holy time of year. Funny at times, enraging in other moments, and just downright sad in the rest.

Hugh Hewitt and Jim Geraghty take on the Washington Post's silly defense of the waiting-to-be-offended crowd out there.

Jim Geraghty also takes on a new media source who doesn't understand the problem.

And Powerline weighs in as well

Whew! Just when you thought the smoke had cleared comes this rocket. Their site has a rather funny depiction of Santa and Frosty bowing in reference to a plate full of packages under the watchful Star of the Dollar, but they are a bit on the militant side.

As for me, I'll walk back into a Target store as soon as the Salvation Army is allowed back in front of them and continue saying "Merry Christmas" all the way to the postmodern gulag if need be. <<breath deeply.... feel the relaxation spreading throughout you>>

Sigh. May the Spirit of the Savior find you receptive in this time and ...

Merry Christ-mas!!!

|

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

The Baptism Question (or Battle?)

I haven't posted to this site since the election was over as I was wondering "now what?" as far as this web log's meaning. I believe I might have found it from my men's bible study group. We meet every Tuesday morning before even the sun has the good sense to arise.

I've been presented with a raging question in the last two meetings. The question posed to me is in regard to whether my Catholic style baptism (which I obviously don't remember!!) has sufficiently prepared me for Christ. That's an excellent question that needs some research on my part. I'm still seeking "the" answer. The question arose from our study of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, in particular Chapter 15 - "Formed for God's Family." To be honest, the last part of this chapter regarding baptism kinda ticked me off since it's a little exclusionary as Warren expresses his "sadness" by meeting believers who haven't been baptized. What does THAT mean exactly? Does that mean I've been insufficiently prepared for Christ according to Rick Warren?

Researching this has lead me to the four Gospel accounts of the man himself - John the Baptist, cousin to Christ. Every one of them discusses that locust eating, wild honey chewing, crazy and absolutely lovable guy John coming to "prepare the way" with "straight paths." The so-called "fifth" Gospel, Isaiah, has much to say about how people should recognize the coming of the Christ. From the four Gospels of the New Testament, so far I've found the following.

Fom Mark 1 (NIV version all), John said:

“After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

from Matthew 3:

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

from Luke 3:

“I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

The Gospel of John (1) has some additional elaboration on what lead John to say the above:

24Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

All these passages are pretty clear that Christ baptizes us with the Holy Spirit even though John baptized with water to reveal Christ to the world. John was sent to prepare the way for a world who knew nothing of the Christ even though He had existed from the very beginning. After the crucifixation, there are many references to baptisms being performed by a variety of disciples. Paul and Silas baptizing a Roman guard and his family at midnight although was it with water or the Spirit isn't said.

"33I would not have known him..." I knew of the Christ from the first days I could comprehend the words so did my baptism as an infant already set me on the "straight path" from which I've admittedly wander from at times? Has Christ been sufficiently "revealed" to me?

That's what really nagging at me. What if I go through all that preparational process and the actual ritual itself of baptism by water and don't feel any different. Logically, an experience that has the emotional and spiritual impact it has to adult Christians should make one feel dramatically different. What if it doesn't? How would I react then to having engaged in such a ritual that I believe was already performed? Depending on the personalities involved, Baptism in water can be a deeply moving and emotional event with life-changing consequences. For others, is it just an ostentatious display that has no deeper meaning than just a public performance? Those that know me, know I will never engage in a public event that I don't have a deep belief in. So has Christ baptized me with the Holy Spirit as He did to the disciples? Is there a danger of a "for-show" baptism being an enormous letdown?

Perhaps the real direct hit question with respect to baptism is "What does the Holy Spirit's presence in you feel like." I could babble on for some time as to what it means to me intellectually, but from a purely relational point of view, intellect only goes so far as Dante pointed out.

My quest now, is will a Baptism with water make me "feel" any different than I feel now. Is the Spirit in me? How do you feel?

|