God's Rule Is From The Top Down, But It's All About Bringing The Bottom Up

'The rulers of this age lord it over their subjects. But among you, whoever would be greatest must be the servant of all.' - Jesus

At our house church this week we celebrated "Reign of Christ" Sunday, initiated by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and meant to be observed on the last Sunday of the church year. Known as "Christ the King Sunday," it was intended to remind believers of the primacy of God's eternal rule over that of all temporal powers on earth. Not without significance, 1925 was the year Benito Mussolini became Italy's dictator and the Head of its Fascist Party.

For some, metaphors of 'king' and 'kingdom' conjure up negative images of colonialism, despotism and dictatorial rule from the top down. Indeed, God's reign, referred to by Clarence Jordan as the 'God Movement', is not bottom up. Our faith is inspired by something far greater than human-based wisdom alone. Left to ourselves we tend to be driven by what benefits our pocket books and supports our prejudices rather than living by a transcendent vision of what is truly good for all people for all time.

Jesus, along with the Biblical prophets, calls us to that kind of transcendence and transformation, to become an active part of a worldwide movement in which we become colonies of caring dedicated to bringing heaven's ways to earth.

In this season of Advent, we renew our pledge of allegiance to that repentance-based revolution.

For more on the artist who created the above piece http://www.greinermemorials.com/greiner-biography.htm

State Officials Address Parole Issues December 4

Secretary of Public Safety Brian J. Moran

For those of you who are concerned about release for geriatric inmates and others in the Department of Corrections deserving of parole release, this is an opportunity to hear from two people who are directly involved with these issues at the state level. 

At 4:30 Brian Moran, Secretary for Public Safety, will give a 15-20 minute presentation on "Parole, the Current Landscape in Virginia," followed by Virginia Parole Board Chair Adrianne Bennett speaking briefly on "Virginia Parole Board's Scope of Releasing Authority." 

This will be followed by a Q & A session. 

The event is free and open to the public, and will be held at the Festival Conference and Student Center at James Madison University Tuesday, December 4, from 4:30-6:00 pm in Conference Room 8.  Park in Lots D1 or D3.

Here's a link to one of many posts on parole, this one by an inmate: https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2016/06/virginia-inmate-advocates-parole-reform.html

Son Brad At VMRC's Strite Auditorium Sunday!

That's at 2:30 pm this Sunday, November 25, at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community.
Strite Auditorium is on the second floor of Crestwood, the building closest to
Virginia Avenue (Rt. 42).

It's 4 pm--Do You Know What Your Children Are Up To?

Is constant screen use causing depression among teens or is
depression contributing to their screen addiction--or both?

Among the "bad places" we were warned to stay away from when I was a child were beer joints, dance halls and movie theaters.

How times have changed.

Today some of the most dangerous places for them to be might be alone in their own bedrooms, with devices like their smart phones, video games and computer screens. These 'bad places' are not only getting progressively worse, but are becoming ever easier for children to access. 

Not only is the available content of grave concern, but the sheer amount of time kids are glued to their screens is concerning. In a landmark statement November, 2016, the American College of Pediatrics warned, 

While the limited use of high-quality and developmentally appropriate media may have a positive influence, excessive or developmentally inappropriate use carries grave health risks for children and their families. Excessive exposure to screens (television, tablets, smartphones, computers, and video game consoles), especially at early ages, has been associated with lower academic performance, increased sleep problems, obesity, behavior problems, increased aggression, lower self-esteem. depression, and increased high risk behaviors, including sexual activity at an earlier age.

Among their recommendations are things like turning off screen media during meals, not allowing internet access in children's rooms (especially after bedtime), and setting appropriate time limits for social media use.

This is must reading for all families with children and grandchildren they care about: https://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/parenting-issues/the-impact-of-media-use-and-screen-time-on-children-adolescents-and-families

Preparing For Our Finals

Here's what matters most.

During my years of teaching high school juniors and seniors, my students often asked questions like, “Is this going to be on the final exam?”  

I used to be a little annoyed at that, believing everything I taught was important, but looking back, they were just being smart. In the same way, as we all face our ultimate 'finals', we need to ask, “What does God consider of greatest importance?”

As we review the textbook we expect to be judged by, we realize the Bible is a very big book, and we might not, for example, be able to get all 613 commands in the Torah just right. But we do certainly want to get the main things right. We want to learn what God is most passionate about, and to keep our eyes open for statements like the greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your might and with all your strength,” and the one given equal importance, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

We want to be sure to underline things like that.

Then there's Jesus's mission statement straight from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, to proclaim release for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s Jubilee.” 

And elsewhere, in the last chapter of the book of Hebrews, we have a summary of some key points to remember, five commands that are like an abbreviated version of the Ten Commandments. In my Bible they're under the heading “Closing Exhortations”. As I've always told my students, a good place to look for material to review are the summary statements at the end of a chapter or section. 

In Hebrews 13 he first of these is, “Keep on loving each other.” 

But not only each other, but secondly, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers." Be on the lookout for angels in the form of aliens, immigrants, refugees. 

Then there’s "Remember those in prison, as though you yourself were in bonds, and those who are mistreated as if you yourself were suffering."

And "Marriage should be honored by everyone, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and the immoral."

Then there’s a hard one, but sure to be on the test, "Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have." 

These are all commands that are easily neglected in a society that urges us to selfishly pursue our own comfort, convenience and pleasure.

Just over a year ago I had the privilege of speaking at the memorial service of Rachel Stoltzfus, a saintly member of our house church. She and her husband Robert, who had passed away over a decade before, took in international students in their home, dozens of them over the years. They loved everybody, they cared for others' needs, and lived simply. Rachel was well prepared for her final exam as taught by Jesus:

"I was hungry and thirsty and you… gave me food and drink." Check.

"I was a stranger and you… invited me into your home." Check.

"I was homeless and you… clothed and sheltered me." Check.

"I was sick and in prison, and you…visited me." Check.

Jesus concludes this section of Matthew 25 by saying that to such people, like Rachel, God will say,"Come you blessed of my Father, enjoy the inheritance prepared for you from the creation of the world.”

This doesn't mean we earn our passing grade by our good works. Jesus’ good news is that whenever we are willing to repent and to take up his cross we become both an agent of God's amazing grace and a recipient of it, a grace that doesn’t ask for recognition or reward, and that gives extravagantly without complaining or without seeking gain.

That’s how things work in God’s economy. Receive love. Give love. Repeat. And Receive grace, give grace. Repeat.

That’s sure to be on the test. 

Hymn Sections For A New Anabaptist Hymnal?

Our most recent official hymnal has
served us well since 1992,

The first Anabaptist hymnal, the Ausbund, was created by and for the revolutionary sixteenth century church movement dedicated to 1) being simple, self-governed communities of faith, teaching and practicing Jesus' way of radical discipleship, 2) pledging allegiance to Jesus' worldwide kingdom rather than to any nation state, 3) denouncing violence in all its forms, taking up Jesus' cross rather than taking up arms, and 4) sacrificially serving and loving neighbors in need both near and far.

I've been reflecting a lot on how this early Mennonite theology may have forever changed when we gave up the use of our Ausbund-themed songs in favor of borrowing popular hymns from Pietist and other Christian traditions.

Maybe a new hymnal could help correct that, one that might include some of the following new sections:

Hymns Celebrating Jesus's Teachings
Our current Hymnal, A Worship Book, is undoubtedly the best post-Ausbund hymnal the Mennonite church has ever published. Nevertheless it has only one hymn based on the words of the Beatitudes, in the form of a chant seldom sung in our congregations. And very few others quote directly from the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, an exception being "Seek ye first the kingdom of God".

Here are a few other wished for hymn titles that might be included in a 'Jesus's teachings' category:

"Blessed Are You Poor"
"We Are God's City of Light"
"Pray For Those Who Persecute"
"First Go and be Reconciled"
"Lay up Treasures That Will Last"
"Whoever Hears These Words of Mine"

Hymns of our Anabaptist Ancestors
Gerald Mast, professor at Bluffton College, recently translated a hymn from the very first edition of the Ausbund, a hymnal that is steeped in the faith of our martyr ancestors. It is to be sung to the tune of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". Ironically, our HWB has two versions of Luther's famous hymn, but none similar to it written from an Anabaptist perspective.

We need many more good translations of some of the better Ausbund selections, such as "Who now would follow Christ" in HWB by David Augsburger, and "Our Father God, thy name we praise, "translated by Earnest Payne.

Hymns on Creation Care
Surely one of the major crises of our time, prayer hymns expressing concern for the future of the planet deserve a section of their own in any new hymnal.

Hymns of Prayer for Christian Unity
Given our terrible tendency to divide over all kinds of disputable matters, we need to regularly use hymns that remind us of the importance Christ gives to our being one, as in his extended prayer in John 17.

Hymns of Christian Calling
Many of the numbers in the current 'Calling' section in our hymnal have to do with God's invitation to individual sinners to be saved and prepared for heaven (a good thing!) rather than also calling us to  Jesus's mission of "proclaiming good news to the poor,  bringing release to captives, and announcing the year of God's Jubilee."

Having said all that, there are many great resources on these and other topics scattered throughout our current hymnal, as well as in the supplements that have been published since, like Sing the Story and Sing the Journey. But my impression is that the more uniquely Anabaptist-themed selections are still used less frequently in most congregations than the more familiar generic Protestant hymns and gospel songs we're far more used to singing.

So let's rediscover and sing the Anabaptist ones more frequently, and keep writing some new ones for future hymnals. What we sing becomes what we most deeply believe.

Here's a link to another post on this theme: https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2018/08/from-anabaptist-ausbund-to.html

Gemeinschaft Week of Gratitude and Generosity

A no gimmicks fundraiser, just a plain generous giving opportunity, via a check to Gemeinschaft Home, P. O. Box 288, Harrisonburg, VA 22803 or at https://www.gemeinschafthome.org/donate.html.