John Wycliffe was determined to make the Old and New Testaments available in the language of the people instead of just in Latin

If you read the Bible in English, you are indebted to a man who set out more than six centuries ago to make Scripture available in the language of the people.  In the time of John Wycliffe, the Bible was available only in Latin. 

Leaders of the Protestant Reformation focused on Holy Scriptures alone (The Latin phrase was sola scriptura) as the rule for faith, and they were sharply critical of the Roman Catholic Church’s additional acceptance of tradition (teachings of the Church after the New Testament period) and the authority of the pope. 

Martin Luther in the 16th Century is considered by many as the father of the Reformation, but  Wycliffe in the 14th Century was a pre-Luther reformer. 

Wycliffe, an Englishman, was in the Roman Church, but he was displeased with many aspects of its teachings. He wrote books attacking the bishops for their wealth and worldliness. He called the pope the Antichrist. 

Wycliffe said of the Bible: “The New Testament is of full authority, and open to the understanding of simple men, as to the points that be most needful for salvation.”  So, more than a century before Luther, Wycliffe strongly believed in sola scriptura. 

In 1380, Wycliffe recruited several fellow scholars to join him in translating the Bible into English. We do not know how much of the translation Wycliffe did. He died on this date, December 31, in 1384, before completion of the translation which bears his name. This was the first English translation of the entire Bible.

Regretfully, Wycliffe’s translation did not readily reach large numbers of English readers. Gutenberg’s printing press was not introduced until the middle of the 15th Century, more than half a century after Wycliffe died. So copies of the English Bible had to be made by hand. This makes Wycliffe’s work all the more remarkable.

How often and how carefully do we read our copies of the Bible in language we understand? As the year is ending, give thanks for the Bible, and resolve to read it more often and thoughtfully in the new year.

Verses for Today

“I treasure your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you: The unfolding of your word gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments” (Psalm 119:11, 130-131).

Each day through tomorrow, New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with the seasons.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Paul of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame was born on this day in 1937 and reborn 31 years later

Paul in the New Testament had a dramatic conversion that set him on a new path as an ardent advocate for Jesus.

Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame had a dramatic conversion that set him on a new path as a Christian solo act.

There was no blinding light at noonday, and Paul the folk singer was not persecuting Christians. His turn-around came one night in 1968 in Abilene, Texas, following a concert by the popular trio.

A brash young fan slipped past security during intermission and asked Paul if they could talk after the show. When the college-age boy came back with the crowd of autograph seekers, Paul asked what the boy wanted to talk about. The young man said, “I want to talk with you about the Lord.” That had to be put on hold while Peter, Paul, and Mary signed programs and albums, but the simple appeal struck a chord with Paul whose mother was a lapsed church member. So he took the youth and two of his friends to his motel room where they had a prayer meeting that resulted in Paul’s placing his faith in Jesus Christ.

About two years later, the three singers stopped their extensive touring and recording, for the most part going their separate ways. Paul’s wife Elizabeth was a longtime chaplain at a prep school.  Together, Paul and Elizabeth  committed themselves to a stable home life for their three daughters.  He has continued to perform, mainly as a solo act, writing songs with deep social concern, reflecting his Christian compassion.

He said, “Ultimately we’re all responsible for putting our belief into action.”  This conviction has led him to help political refugees in Central America.  Also, a foundation guided by one of his daughters has donated nearly two million dollars to charities in countries around the world.

In an interview several years ago, he said this:

“My discovery and ultimate thankfulness for the patience of a Creator who would be involved in my life as I allowed, obviously altered my motivations tremendously. And most of the songs I’ve written since the late ‘60’s, though they may be really quite wide contextually, are from the ‘forgiven and Loved’ perspective that one inherits as a gift of the Spirit. I’m just hopeful that I can be an encouragement; a challenge to other folks to reach for peace on earth by starting within their own hearts”  (http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/people/nps.htm).

The full name of the singer, who was born on this date, December 30, in 1937, is Noel Paul Stookey. He continues to use his talents as a composer and performer to entertain and to share with faith. Lyrics for some of his songs are available on his web site: http://www.noelpaulstookey.com. The site also carries detailed autobiographical information and access to on-line ordering of recordings by Paul and other performers.

He has recorded his own songs and songs written by others which reflect his faith.  For example, he arranged a setting of Psalm 23.  Michael Blanchard’s “Be Ye Glad” has the refrain: “Every debt that you ever had has been paid up in full by the Grace of the Lord.”

Bill K. Hughes’ song “Blessed” reminds us, if we ever lose our way or have no place to stand, “Then it’s time to remember .  .  .  Blessed are those who wait upon the Lord.”  

Year’s end is traditionally a time to reflect on the need for change and to resolve to make those changes. Paul Stookey’s active commitment as a Christian is a challenge to each of us on the brink of a new year.

A Verse for Today:

“Therefore, anyone who is in Christ is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 Paraphrased).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Christmas and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

"C" for "Christian" was the primary concern in starting the YMCA

Among the millions of people who work out on treadmills and in swimming pools each day at their local YMCAs, most probably do not realize the central focus was on Bible study and prayer when the Young Men’s Christian Association began in London in 1844.

The “C” of YMCA was George Williams’s main concern when he left a farm in rural England and moved to London to begin a sales career at the age of 21. He rallied other young men who wanted Christian fortification against the temptations and threats they faced in the big city.

As a Christian organization for young men, YMCA caught on in Great Britain and in North America as well. In 1851, branches were established in Montreal in November and in Boston on today’s date, December 29.

YMCA work began among white Protestant men, but it crossed barriers of denomination, gender, and race to include women and children, as well as men, of all races, religions, and nationalities.

After the Civil War, Y work focused on evangelistic work, with preaching in saloons and street corners. In the 1880s, YMCAs began hiring full-time staffs and putting up buildings. Those buildings included gyms and swimming pools, auditoriums and bowling alleys, and college dormitory type rooms with baths on the hall.

In World War I, YMCA ran military canteens, known today as post exchanges, in the United States and in France, as well as relief work for refugees and prisoners of war on both sides. 

YMCA became a social welfare agency, doing much of the work that federal government agencies later would adopt. For example, Y’s did relief work for the poor in the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The contemporary logo features a large “Y,” as the organization is popularly known, but “YMCA” is there in little letters.

On the athletic front, YMCA claims credit for inventing various games, including volleyball, softball, and basketball.

Recognitions of the broad social impact of YMCA came as founder George Williams was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1894, and a later YMCA leader, John Mott, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946. 

Athletics is a major factor in attracting 17.9 million people in the U. S. and 30 million worldwide, but leadership is determined to re-focus on the sometimes less conspicuous “Christian” in Young Men’s Christian Association.

Taking the historic look at YMCA and its varied emphases across the years, we are reminded that broader aspects of Christ’s coming include the physical, mental, and social along with the spiritual dimensions of life.

Verses for Today

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in divine and human favor” (Luke 2:52).

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Christmas and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Two contrasting, conflicting festivals came in the wake of December 25

Two dramatically different feasts found their way into this date, December 28, on the historic Roman Catholic liturgical calendar: the Feast of Holy Innocents and the Feast of Fools. Church leaders have high regard for the first, but they generally choose to look the other way when the second is mentioned.

Holy Innocents memorializes the baby boys King Herod killed in his effort to destroy the King of the Jews, whom the Wise Men sought out. The narrative in Matthew 2 gives no details as to how this slaughter was to be carried out or the number of babies involved. Medieval authors projected 144,000 deaths. Others lowered the number to 64,000 or 14,000. Because Bethlehem was a small town, modern writers have drastically reduced the estimate to 20 or 10 or even 6. Whatever the number in this incident, ancient and religious writers describe Herod as a ruler who committed many atrocities.

Augustine called these innocent boys the first buds of the Church, killed by the frost of persecution.Their day is placed near Christmas Day because they are perceived as giving their life for the newborn King. This is one of many days throughout the liturgical year honoring saints and martyrs.

The on-line Catholic Encyclopedia describes the Feast of Fools as “marked by much license and buffoonery . . . during the later middle ages” in England, France, and other European countries (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06132a.htm). A carry-over from pagan revels, it found sanctification for a time in the Catholic church, with lower-level church leaders replacing the bishops and priests for a day. Sometimes a “boy bishop” wore the bishop’s garb and sat in the bishop’s chair during services. The event is said to have tottered “on the brink of burlesque, if not of the profane.”

While Holy Innocents is on a set date, the Feast of Fools was on various days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, rather than always being on December 28.

These two divergent feasts as part of historic Christmas season remind us of the constant struggle we face in keeping Christmas Christian in our individual lives, our families, our churches. The secular, unredeemed, even pagan, elements confront us at every turn: using the holidays to justify excesses in gift buying, eating, drinking, and debauchery. The increasing darkness which comes day by day with the shorter hours of daylight as Christmas approaches can serve as a parable of the Feast of Fools when the unspiritual aspects can so readily gain the upper hand over the affirmation of Christ being new born in us.

Verses for Today

“. . . In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. [John] himself was not that light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:4-9).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Christmas and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Carry Nation's misguided motives led to violence

Whether you're a teetotaler, a casual drinker, or a tippler, you probably agree that marching into a saloon with a hatchet and destroying the inventory is not the best strategy for ridding a community of strong drink.

Carry A. Nation believed strongly in the hatchet approach. At the end of the 19th Century and beginning of the 20th Century, that was her literal plan of attack. 

Her newsletter was called “The Smasher's Mail.” Her first husband, a physician, was an alcoholic who died two years after they married. She was living in Kansas in the small town of Medicine Lodge near the Oklahoma line when she began her crusade. She started in Medicine Lodge, but she went on to the cities of Wichita and Topeka and then on to other states.

Nation initially used softer approaches, including personal persuasion with saloon owners. When this was not effective, she escalated her efforts by conducting unasked-for prayer meetings on the premises. When prayer did not stop the flow of liquor, she used such implements as stones and bricks wrapped in newspaper and an iron rod strapped to her cane. She sold pewter hatchet pins to pay her way out of jail where she was frequently sent.

“Mother Nation,” as she came to be known, rallied many women to her cause through the Women’s Christian Temperance League, though not all members of the national WCTU endorsed her violence. She led local WCTU members in closing seven saloons, using non-violent actions before she resorted to more drastic measures.

Her second husband, David Nation, was a lawyer, minister, and editor. They lived together 14 years, but they divorced after her crusades turned violent. 

Nation also rallied women in the interest of voting rights. With women in the state, she lobbied the Kansas legislature, telling them, "You refused me the vote and I had to use a rock." They responded by passing the first significant temperance legislation in almost 15 years. 

The exact date when Nation started her hatchet work is in debate, along with the town where she trashed the first saloon. One source places it in Medicine Lodge on this date, December 27, in 1889; another exactly a year later in Wichita. Even so, there is no debate about her actions.

We admire Nation’s spunk, but her actions are Exhibit A in showing that the end does not justify the means. In the season of the birth of the Prince of Peace, we know he rarely used physical force, usually preferring a reasoned, loving approach.

A Verse for Today

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of ll” (Romans 12:17).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Christmas and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

'Twas the Day After Christmas, and the Christian calendar memorializes two martyrs

In the liturgical tradition, the day after Christmas, December 26, is dedicated to the first person in the Bible narrative to die for his faith in Christ, St. Stephen. His martyrdom is recorded in Acts, chapters 6-7. 

Stephen was one of seven men the early church chose to assist the apostles. The seven were “of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” Their work was to be practical ministries to their fellow church members, including providing food for the needy. This would free the apostles to preach.

As the Christian church began to gain momentum, Stephen was accused of blasphemy against Moses and against God. He was taken into custody for this and was put to death by stoning. His last words were a prayer: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

A 10th Century martyr is memorialized in a Christmas song because he helped a needy person on the day which honors Stephen. The song begins:

Good King Wenceslas looked out,

 On the Feast of Stephen.

The song details how the king, with his page, went out on a cold winter night to provide food and wine for a peasant they had seen gathering wood. The song ends with a moral lesson:

Ye who now will bless the poor,

 Shall yourselves find blessing.

In real life, Wenceslas, king of Bohemia, (now the Czech Republic), was known for his kindness to the poor. He was a Christian who sought to spread his faith. This brought resistance from Bohemian nobles. His brother, Boleslav, took part in a plot against him and set up the attack in which Boleslav’s supporters murdered Wenceslas. The "Good King" Wenceslas died September 20, 929, in his early 20s after ruling for five years. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic. 

St. Stephen’s Day has also taken a secular turn that still emphasizes helping the less fortunate in England, Canada, and Australia. Boxing Day is a time for boxing up goods to give to people in need, people who would not be expected to give anything in return. 

Although Boxing Day began with wealthy people who had servants, a practical extension for all of us would be to donate money or merchandise to Boys and Girls Clubs or the local rescue mission.

Helping the needy would be a way to continue a spirit akin to Stephen and Wenceslas. This would also continue the spirit of Christmas giving a day after our own presents are opened and the wrapping paper has gone to the trash container.

Verses for Today

“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead”(James 2:15-17).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Christmas and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea . . .

Today is Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But . . .

No one knows the date or even the year Jesus was born. Several dates were observed in the early centuries of the Christian Era, with December 25 and January 6 the most common. As the Christian movement divided into Eastern and Western branches, with Rome the Western center and Constantinople the Eastern center, these two dates for Christmas firmed up. January 6 was the preferred date in the East and December 25 in the West in the middle of the 4th Century. Many Eastern Orthodox Christians now observe the Western date as well.

Christians think of time being divided in two categories: Time before Jesus was born is “Before Christ (B. C.),” and each year since his birth is the Year of Our Lord (Latin Anno Domini) or A. D. But these calculations did not begin the night the shepherds made their way to Bethlehem’s manger. Our present calendar is the result of counting back to the approximate date of events described in the Gospels. Most Bible scholars now think this backward count was a few years off and that Jesus was born no earlier than 4 B. C. 

The day after Jesus was born, life probably went on much the same for most people around 

Bethlehem, except for Joseph and Mary and those shepherds who had the heavenly vision of “peace on earth, good will to men.” No doubt, Mary would mark the day for as long as Jesus lived and as long as she lived. But their way of marking time was based on the number of years a king had ruled or the year a ruler died. Such a counting system would be very confusing to us, but in the grand sweep of history, it matters little whether we can know the day and year Jesus was born. 

Our faith is based on the life and teachings and death and resurrection of Jesus. He was born. He lived thirtysome years. He taught lessons which pointed people to God. He was crucified. He rose from the dead. His resurrection made a tremendous difference to his first followers. Those followers shared their faith with other people, and those people believed the testimony of those who had walked and talked with Jesus. Belief in the Resurrected Lord has been life-changing to countless millions of believers across the centuries. 

The day that matters in the life of Jesus is today. Not just Christmas Day, but each day we live in the awareness of his presence with us and within us. Each day we live, Jesus can be born anew in us. 

Verses for Today

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was 

God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, 

and without him not one thing came into being . . . And the word became flesh 

and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, 

full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3; 14).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Christmas and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Music is an inseparable part of Christmas. We can’t imagine the season without music to help us celebrate. Here on Christmas Eve, we look at two examples of enduring music which made their debuts on this date, December 24: “Silent Night” and “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”

“Silent Night” was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in St. Nicholas Church at Oberndorf, Austria. The song was a contribution from a young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, who wrote the text, and church organist Franz Gruber, who wrote the music. At the first performance, Mohr accompanied himself and the congregation on a guitar.

Many stories have circulated regarding the exact circumstances of that first performance. 

Some claim the church organ was damaged, thus leaving no accompaniment other than the guitar.  But there is no early record of such a problem. Use of Mohr’s guitar was probably just a matter of preference.  Mohr had written the poem in 1816, two years before he gave it to Gruber, who wrote the music on Christmas Eve 1818.

More recently, in 1951 the Christmas opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” had its television debut on NBC. Written by Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti, it was the first opera to be broadcast over television. 

“Amahl” is the Christmas story seen through the eyes of a child. In the short opera, Amahl is a crippled peasant boy who lives with his mother. The night visitors of the title are the Three Kings of Christmas tradition who seek rest from their travel as they follow the star and search for a newborn king. Tension between the host family and the visitors develops as Amahl’s mother makes an unsuccessful attempt to steel the gold which is intended for the Christ Child. The story climaxes with Amahl’s miraculous healing as he and his mother become convinced that the baby the Kings seek is the Son of God. The newly-healed Amahl joins the Kings in their journey.

The story of the broken-down organ apparently is as mythical as the story of Amahl, but both have become part of Christmas lore.

A Verse for Today

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (Colossians 3:16).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Rosetta Stone: a company teaching modern languages or an ancient historic marker?

As a boy, Jean Francois Champollion taught himself or attempted to learn Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Chaldean and Chinese. By the time he was 18, he was appointed to teach history and politics at the University of Grenoble. A year later, he earned a doctorate. 

This brilliant young Frenchman also mastered Coptic, Ethiopic, Sanskrit, Zend, Pahlevi and Persian. He is best remembered as an Egyptologist who decoded the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics on the ancient marker known as the Rosetta Stone.  In our era, that name has been co-opted by a company that teaches an assortment of modern languages.

Champollion served as the conservator of the Egyptian collection at the Louvre Museum in Paris.  He was born on this day, December 23, in 1790. He died at the age of 41 after suffering a stroke.

He broke the code on Egyptian picture language by studying the Rosetta Stone, an archaeological find which contains the same message in three languages: Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and demotic or everyday language of ordinary Egyptians. He had found the name of the ancient ruler Ptolemy in the first two languages and then discovered that same name in a hieroglyphic sign. This breakthrough kept Champollion going. Great patience was necessary because he worked on the translation project some three years and, little by little, identified additional hieroglyphics.

Napoleon had discovered the Rosetta Stone in 1799 when he invaded Egypt. The stone, found at Rosette in Egypt, is now on display in the British Museum in London. 

The message was written in 196 B. C. by Ptolemy the Fifth, one of a series of 15 kings by that name who ruled Egypt for nearly three centuries. Ptolemy describes some taxes he is repealing, he gives instructions for statutes to be erected in temples, and he instructs that the decree be written in the three languages.

At first glance, Champollion’s work may seem obscure in our modern era, but he advanced our understanding and appreciation of events from a largely forgotten period of history.

Our seasons of Advent and Christmas center on ancient messages which we need to translate into the languages of our hearts. Champollion can be our exemplar in his determination to recover details from the past. If we apply his pattern to the spiritual realm, we can shed new light on the reign of righteousness and judgment, tempered with love and peace, which Christ’s advent ushered in for people in every generation and every language.

Verses for Today

“Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. for there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith” (Habakkuk 2:2-4).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

A woman was the first person in the United States to be named a saint by the Roman Catholic Church

Maria Francesca Cabrini was the driving force in starting 67 schools, hospitals, orphanages, convents, and missions, an average of one for every year she lived.

Born July 15, 1850, in the village of San Angelo in Italy, she was the youngest of 13 children. From an early age she felt called to missionary service. Originally, she aspired to go to China, but, at the request of Pope Leo XIII, she came to the United States instead to work with Italian immigrants.

She Americanized her name from Francesca to Frances and became known as Mother Cabrini. Born two months premature, she struggled with poor health throughout her 67 years. For example, she had smallpox at age 22. Because of this illness, she was denied admission to a religious order. She was considered too frail to endure the rigors of a convent. 

In 1880, when she was 30, Frances founded her own order, the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with seven other women. Nine years later, the Sisters came to the United States, where initially they did not get encouragement from the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Until her death 28 years later, in 1917, she traveled around the country, starting charitable work, in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and other locations. She also founded institutions in South America and Europe. 

Mother Cabrini died on this date, December 22, 1917. Though it usually takes about 50 years after death for a person to be canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church, she was beatified, or declared blessed in 1938 and was canonized in 1946 as the first saint in the United States.

Part of the canonization process includes authentication of two miracles. Mother Cabrini’s miracles both involved healing: restoring sight to a new born baby who had been blinded by an overdose of nitrite of silver solution and curing a nun who had been given only days to live. The sister lived another 20 years.

Saints in the Catholic Church are given designated days in the annual church calendar. Saint Frances Cabrini’s feast day is the day of her death, December 22. Advent anticipates the coming of Jesus, who lived a selfless life and died a sacrificial death. On this day in Advent, we celebrate the life of a frail little lady who sought to follow in his steps.

A Verse for Today

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

The Pilgrims come ashore on this date in 1620 at "Plimouth," later to be called "Plymouth"

From school days, we have known the story of the Pilgrims who left their British homeland, stayed for a time in Holland, and then sailed to the New World on the Mayflower.

Religious freedom was a major factor for these dissenters, or “Separatists,” who separated from the established Church of England. Their refusal to conform to the official religion brought fines and imprisonment. These Separatists went to Holland because the government there tolerated various religious groups, including other groups from England. But the Separatists had to slip out of England because the authorities tried to stop them from leaving.

Even in Holland, the dissenters attracted trouble. One of their number, William Brewster, wrote books critical of the Church of England and had them smuggled back to England. This aroused the ire of King James I who wanted Dutch authorities to send Brewster home.

Along with continuing religious upheaval, finances were a factor in leaving Holland for America. Jobs were scarce, restricted to low-paying trades and other labor-intensive occupations. Some returned to the prisons of England, considering that a better option than what they faced in Holland.

Arriving at North America in November, they overshot their destination, landing at the Cape Cod area of what would become the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The ship explored the coastal area for several weeks before coming ashore at Plimouth (Plymouth) on this date, December 21, in 1620. This was the second permanent British settlement, following Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.

All the men (but not the women), Pilgrims and their indentured male servants alike, signed an agreement which set forth a democratic process for electing leaders and making laws. The “Mayflower Compact” was a prototype for American democracy.

Ironically, one-time dissenters who fled England because of religious persecution soon made their own version of Christian faith the official faith in the colonies and began persecuting those who dissented.

The Pilgrims’ first years in the new land were difficult. Approximately half of the 102 Pilgrims died during the first winter, in what they called the “Great Sickness,” possibly as a result of wading through extremely cold water when they first got off the ship. Food was often scarce in the early years. Even as they made friends with the Indians and received help from them, the white settlers endured severe hardships.

Governor William Bradford wrote about one difficult period: "By the time our corn is planted, our victuals are spent, not knowing at night where to have a bite in the morning, and have neither bread nor corn for 3 or 4 months together; yet bear our wants with cheerfulness, and rest on Providence."

As Advent moves on toward Christmas, we may see ourselves as pilgrims on a journey, at times rocky, but always sustained by the hand of Christ whose advent we celebrate.

Verses for Today

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

A young pregnant Native American woman played a strategic role in the Lewis and Clark expedition

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s team in search of an inland waterway to the Pacific Ocean involved an inter-racial, inter-cultural group (American Indian, French Canadian, African-American, and Caucasians) and one lone female, an American Indian teenager, Sacagawea.

Under authorization from President Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis May 14, 1804, with some 45 woodsmen, soldiers, and boatmen, and Clark’s slave named York. Their trip to the west coast and back took nearly two and a half years.

Sacagawea’s name has been pronounced variously: including Sack-uh-juh-WEE-uh and Tuh-saka-ka-wias. Clark entered the pronunciation in his journal on April 7, 1805, as Sah-kah-gar-wea.

She contributed to the success and safety of the party: She interpreted when they encountered Indians [the prevailing term for Native Americans] from her Shoshone tribe and other tribes. She had navigational skills which saved their lives, and she helped obtain horses for overland portions of the journey. She has been memorialized with lakes and mountain peaks and statues in her honor in many western states, as well as on a gold dollar coin from the U. S. Mint.

Sacagawea was married to a French Canadian trader, Toussaint Charbonneau. The two joined the expedition some six months after it began. He was hired as an interpreter. She was only 14 or 15 when she and Charbonneau signed on in November 1804. The next spring, she gave birth to a son, Jean Baptiste, whom Clark nicknamed Pomp or Pompey. At the end of the journey, Charbonneau left the boy with Clark, who raised him to adulthood. 

Clark lived to be 68, dying in 1838. Lewis died at age 35 in 1809, less than three years after the expedition ended. It is uncertain whether he was murdered or committed suicide.

Various traditions have circulated regarding the length of Sacagawea’s life. By some accounts, she lived to be an old woman, dying in 1884 in her 90s. But the prevailing view is that she died on this date, December 20, in 1812, in her early 20s.

Though the party found no inland waterway, they contributed to understanding of the geography, as well as the plant and animal life, of western portions of the young nation. 

Consider a parable of life in the cooperative efforts of the Lewis and Clark team: We journey together, male and female, members of various races and cultures. We do not always achieve our stated goal; sometimes things go badly, but we re-group and recoup and see good come as we follow Jesus, our Guide, the Promised One of Advent.

Verses for Today

“. . . let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Remember John-Boy? And Jim-Bob? And Ike and Corabeth? And the Recipe Sisters? "The Waltons" gave the warmth of Christmas

They were like members of our family: John-Boy and Momma and Daddy. Grandpa and Grandma.

They were like the folks down the road: Ike and Corabeth Godsey. The Recipe Sisters: Miss Emily and Miss Mamie. 

We saw the kids grow up during the nine years (1972-1981) “The Waltons” series was on television: Mary Ellen and Jason. Ben, and Erin. Jim-Bob and Elizabeth.

The Waltons, Earl Hamner Jr.’s semi-autobiographical family, first came into our homes and into our hearts during the 1971 Christmas season, on this date, December 19, in a CBS television movie, “The Homecoming.”

That pilot movie was sentimental, heart-tugging, and full of family love, elements we associate with Christmas cheer---and with the series it launched. The father had been working some distance away from home, and it seemed uncertain whether he would make it back for Christmas. We saw how his absence was impacting three generations of his family: his children, his wife, and his parents.

The inspiration for Walton’s Mountain is the village of Schuyler in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Located on a side road off a secondary road, Schuyler is the place where Hamner grew up in a large family. The Hamner home is still there, occupied by one of his brothers, James. The schoolhouse right across the road, where they got their education, is now the Walton’s Mountain Museum, which once drew as many as 40,000 visitors in a year.

The series was heavily criticized by some for being unlike weightier fare offered on other nights. The Waltons were said not to measure up to “socially relevant” families in that era such as those of Archie Bunker and Maude Findlay. Set in the Great Depression, “The Waltons” series was called “too nostalgic.”

But isn’t there a place alongside the hard-down gritty story lines for the softer-edged look at a family such as the folks who lived on Walton’s Mountain? Both kinds of shows are true to life, offering two different realities of American life.

The Waltons lived off the beaten path, but the world came to their door as the family faced various crises, some from within the family circle and others imported by outsiders.

The Advent season can remind us that, much like the various kinds of television shows, there is the grim, depressed world where people are thrown together, often in violent confrontations, and there is the gentler world. The close-knit Walton family can symbolize the family of God which offers encouragement and healing as family members close ranks around those who hurt. This was the purpose of the One whose advent we celebrate.

Verses for Today

“When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is the very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ---if , in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:15-17).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

What was your favorite old-time radio quiz? That was the 64 dollar question

 With the run-away success of “millionaire” quiz shows and “reality” shows on television, it seems strange that 64 dollars was once the top prize on network radio and a box of candy bars was a consolation prize. Yet, small-budget quiz shows were immensely popular in the “Golden Age of Radio” in the 1940s and early 1950s before network radio was eclipsed by television:

“Dr. I. Q.,” a touring radio show which broadcast from theaters in various American cities, awarded silver dollars for correct answers or boxes of Mars candy to losers.

“Take It Or Leave It” gave one dollar for the first right answer, with money doubling for each answer up to 64 dollars. When confronted with a difficult question, people in the 1940s often said, “That’s the 64 dollar question.”

Television upped the stakes a thousand-fold with “The $64,000 Question” and “The $64,000 Challenge” for winners from the first show. These and some of the other shows in the 1950s were discovered to have been rigged. Contestants were given answers and coached on how long to pause before answering correctly or before throwing the game.

Quiz shows and game shows survived the scandals because viewers enjoy a contest, they admire people who seem to be smart, and they like to imagine what they would do if they won lots of money.

A pioneer in TV game shows was Mark Goodson, who with his partner Bill Todman produced many successful game shows over several decades.  These included “To Tell the Truth,” “I’ve Got a Secret,” “Password,” and many more. Goodson died on this date, December 18, in 1992. 

 Goodson and Todman’s games were not like the high-stakes money shows in the early years which were based in dishonesty.  Theirs were more like parlor or party games family or friends could have fun playing together.

Viewers have played home game versions of these TV games for decades, starting with board games with play money, then computer disks, followed by on-line versions. Some interactive Internet games offer prizes to contestants.

Favorite early game shows were brought back to life on cable through the Game Show Network. 

Many shows are copied from other successful shows. Some shows copy themselves.  For example, the long-running “Jeopardy” came up with a spin-off for a younger generation: “Rock and Roll Jeopardy.”

In the flurry of Christmas shopping during these final days of Advent, reflect today on two different mindsets which are evident both with reference to game show prizes and to presents you may receive at Christmas: We may be defiantly determined to get as much as we can and be disappointed or angry if we don’t get what we hoped for. Or we may enjoy being a participant and grateful for whatever we receive.

Verses for Today

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night” (Psalm 92:1-2).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote letters of encouragement and challenge while in prison in Hitler's Germany

“The consciousness of being borne up by a spiritual tradition that goes back for centuries gives one a feeling of confidence and security in the face of all passing strains and stresses.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote this in a letter from prison on this date, December 17, in 1943.   This was about a year and a half before the Lutheran pastor-theologian was hanged by the Nazis at age 39. His writings from prison have been widely distributed in the book, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Letters and Papers from Prison.

 Born in 1906, Bonhoeffer became a lecturer in theology at the University of Berlin at the age of 25 in 1931. Among Protestants in Germany, he was a leading spokesman against Adolph Hitler’s rise to power. 

Based on Romans 13, he had been taught not to resist governmental authorities, but he determined that he could not remain quiet. In resistance, Bonhoeffer started an underground seminary in 1935. The next year, he was forbidden to lecture at the University. The Nazis closed the seminary and arrested 27 former students. In the wake of the closing, he wrote what has become probably his best-known book, The Cost of Discipleship, in which he deplored “cheap grace,” a grace which does not cost the claimant. A few years later, he would also be forbidden to publish his writings. 

Bonhoeffer in 1939 joined his brother-in-law and others in a movement to assassinate Hitler. Later that year, he came to New York City, where he could have stayed in safety, but he returned to Germany after only a few weeks to continue the resistance work. He said it was a mistake to come to America to escape the consequences of his efforts against Hitler. He felt, if he stayed away for the duration of the war, he would have no right to go back home when the war was over and take part in seeking to reshape German.

After working in Jewish rescue activities, he was arrested, first placed in prison in Berlin, then later moved to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp.  There he was executed less than a week before the Allied forces reached the camp.

A symbol of Christian commitment and courage for many, Bonhoeffer’s life should be an inspiration to every Christian. As we enter heartily into Advent, we can be caught up in the centuries-old “spiritual tradition” he mentioned in the quotation which begins today’s reading. May we have that “feeling of confidence and security in the face of all passing strains and stresses.”

Verse for Today

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life (Revelation 2:10).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Beethoven composed one of his greatest symphonies after he was completely deaf

Music was a major part of Ludwig van Beethoven’s life almost from the beginning.

Ludwig was born on this date, December 16, in Bonn, Germany, in 1770. His father Johann was determined to launch his son in a musical career at an early age, the way Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was started by his father. Johann was Ludwig’s first music teacher.

Johann was disappointed that Ludwig accomplished little, musically, until he was 11. At that tender age, Ludwig dropped out of school to serve as assistant organist in the emperor’s court at Bonn.

By age 13, Ludwig was playing a keyboard instrument, a precursor of the piano, for the Bonn opera company and accompanying opera rehearsals. At 17, he went to Vienna to study with Mozart, who was 14 years older. Mozart predicted great things for Beethoven.

Because of his father’s problem with alcoholism, Beethoven had to support the family by the time he was 18. He was composing and teaching by age 19 and playing viola in the opera orchestra. In his early 20s, he met Joseph Haydn, who encouraged him to move to Vienna. Beethoven did, and he lived there the rest of his life.

In Vienna, Prince Karl Lichnowsky was the first patron who provided support for Beethoven. The composer dedicated his Piano Sonata in C Minor, the “Pathétique,” to the prince. 

Before he was 30, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. This made him more difficult to get along with, but it did not prevent him from composing.

Beethoven was prolific, composing nine symphonies, one opera, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, as well as extensive piano pieces and chamber music for string quartets and trios.

Viewing Napoleon as hero-liberator, Beethoven dedicated his third symphony to the general. But, disillusioned when Napoleon declared himself emperor, Beethoven marked through that dedication and renamed the symphony ‘Eroica.”

Musicologists divide Beethoven’s music career into three periods. The first, from the late 1780s to 1800 (his late teens to age 30), was a formative, exploratory time. The second, 1800-1815, included the writing six of his nine symphonies. The last period, 1815 to his death in 1827, included what many consider his most compelling, the Ninth Symphony, written after he was completely deaf. This work includes a choral section, which became the basis for the hymn, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” with words by American poet Henry van Dyke.

Beethoven’s masterpieces---many composed in circumstances which would have deterred lesser musicians---inspire us musically. They also inspire us to re-commit the best that we have and the best that we are in the season when we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world to endure the ultimate hardship of death on the cross on our behalf.

A Verse for Today

“. . . David took the lyre and played it with his hand, and Saul would be relieved and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him” (1 Samuel 16:23).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Freedom in Christ and Freedom in the Nation

The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution, became law on this date, December 15, in 1791, when Virginia became the ninth state to ratify it. 

Our thoughts often turn to these provisions during patriotic seasons such as Independence Day, July 4.  But in Advent, as we think of Jesus coming into the world, perhaps these amendments can remind us of the greater freedom -- spiritual freedom and independence -- we enjoy through faith in Him.

1. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

2. A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

3. No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

4. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

6. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

7. In suits of common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court in the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted.

9. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

10. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Verses for Today

"And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  The saying is sure and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  And I am the foremost of sinners" (1Timothy 1:14-15).

"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.

Spike Jones and His City Slickers Tickled Our Funny Bone

Maestro Lindley Armstrong Jones and his orchestra were able musicians, but that fact might have been hard to detect when they assumed their show business identities as Spike Jones and the City Slickers.

Spike Jones would often step to the podium and face his orchestra with a baton in one hand and a blank-firing pistol in the other. The City Slickers played and sang parodies of familiar popular and classical pieces, punctuating them vocally with shrieks, belches, gargling sounds, and hysterical laughter. They also played such unorthodox percussion instruments as doorbells, cowbells, washboards, toilet seats, and bicycle horns.

Jones, who was born in Long Beach, California, on this date, December 14, in 1911 played drums with various radio studio bands during the 1930s. But he had more fun with send-ups of conventional music, and he found other musicians with the same zany streak who joined him to become the City Slickers. Their heyday was the 1940s and 1950s with radio shows, recordings, television, and personal appearance tours.  In this writer’s college years, Jones brought his zanies to our campus, not once but twice.  Their records were always funny, but it was hilarious to see them in person.

Conductor Jones frequently greeted his audiences with, “Good evening, music lovers,” before lurching into what he called “Music Depreciation Lessons.” In his self-deprecating evaluation, he said he and his band were “the dandruff” in longhair music.

Sometimes they used the original lyrics of songs but interlaced them with laughter, gunshots, and other sounds which only a Spike Jones connoisseur could identify with certainty. A big favorite recording was “Cocktails for Two,” about a romance which began and blossomed at the 5 o’clock cocktail hour. The original was mercilessly cut to shreds. In person, pandemonium broke lose as band members ran around the stage during rip-roaring musical passage with sirens, horns, and hiccups.

“All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” was a Spike Jones original, sung in falsetto by a Jones regular, hefty George Rock.

The Slickers put words to the “William Tell Overture,” turning Rossini’s piece into a horse race. Doodles Weaver described the progress of the horses, with pun at every bend of the track. For example: “Bubble Gum is sticking to the rail." "Toothpaste is being squeezed out on the rail." "Banana is coming up through the bunch.”

It was “all for fun and fun for all” when Spike Jones and the City Slickers did a show. The madcap performances are still on video and YouTube.

Spike Jones and the City Slickers may seem akin to riotous revels or wassailing which characterizes the holidays for many. But they can remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. If we can laugh at ourselves during Advent and Christmas, we may find a kinship with Jesus, who went to parties and was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard (Matthew 11:19).

A Verse for Today

“I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.