Barnabas File

"I will light candles this Christmas. Candles of joy, despite all the sadness. Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of courage where fear is ever present. Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days. Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens. Candles of love to inspire all of my living. Candles that will burn all the year long. " --Howard Thurman

Do you ever wonder about the source of many of our Christmas traditions?     In a recent blog from Bible Study Tools, the author unpacks some of the practices that we casually accept as being part of our Christmas observance.     One thing that may surprise some Christians is that two pagan festivals honoring the sun were also celebrated on December 25.  It is possible that December 25 was chosen to counteract these pagan influences.  The author writes, “To this day some people feel uncomfortable with Christmas because they think it is somehow tainted by the pagan festivals held on that day. But Christians have long believed that the gospel not only transcends culture, it also transforms it.” Culture is all around us. We are inheritors of a rich mix of ideas, relationships, practices, and taboos which we usually accept without question; however, we are not captives of culture.  We can learn to exegete our culture rather t...

During the Advent season, we are introduced to many interesting characters:    Mary, Joseph, Anna, Elizabeth and Zacharias, Anna and Simeon, John the Baptist.    Most of these are in Luke’s Gospel, but Matthew’s Gospel gives us a different perspective and some new characters.    Matthew 12:1-12 introduces several kings—some wise Gentile “kings” and one paranoid king. The individuals we call the “three kings” or Magi came from east of Palestine, probably Persia or Babylon (present day Iraq or Iran). We don’t really know how many there were; the number three comes from the three gifts they carried.  Although commonly placed at the stable and depicted in Nativity scenes, they came long after Jesus’ birth (probably two years later). These men (and they were most likely men although they did ask for directions) were part of a unique group.  They were astrologers, men of wisdom, and advisors to the king of Babylon. In those times, astronomy...

My wife, our daughter, and I were returning from the memorial service for a friend in east Tennessee.    Stephanie, our daughter, was providing our music from Pandora on her iPhone.    A song came up that I had probably heard before, but the words suddenly got my attention.     “A Strange Way to Save the World”  is written from Joseph’s perspective and points out the incongruity of the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem.    Joseph voices his wonder at the strange way that God has chosen to work.    Imagine, God was placing the plan for the salvation of the world in the hands of a teenage girl and a village craftsman! The song reminds me that our God works in unusual and paradoxical ways more times than we imagine.  So many of us are obsessed with planning and control that we rarely leave time and space for God to intervene in our lives.  Is this because we do not really believe that God might break through the ordinar...

Chaplain Pierce McIntyre offers helpful insights and prayers for dealing with every day life in his regular e-mails to friends and colleagues.  In an e-mail, he pointed out that there is an inherent contradiction in the term “holiday stress.”    A holiday is “a celebratory day, break, day of rest or vacation.”  Stress means “anxiety, impatience, and nervous tension.”  The two really don’t seem to go together, but we know that they exist in combination too often these days. We are now immersed in the “holiday season’ that is inaugurated with Thanksgiving, reaches its peak with Christmas, and then closes out with New Year’s Day.  This is a time of feasting, visiting, giving, reflection, and worship for most of us.  As McIntyre notes, however, it is often a time of stress as well. So how do we deal with the stress?  What are some things we can do to deal with the stress? First, we can set priorities.  What do we really val...

The Christmas season is here.  I know it is true not because of the displays in the stores--they have been pushing gift-giving and decorations since September--or the pounds of catalogs that arrive in our mailbox daily, but because the Salvation Army bell ringer with kettle was in front of the grocery store when I shopped last Friday.  Christmas is coming! Despite the commercialization of the season, Christmas is a defining moment in the year for believers and non-believers.  As an adult, my appreciation of the season has been enriched by Advent and its liturgical practices.  Advent Bible studies have allowed me to understand how anticipation of the coming of Messiah is both a joyous and bittersweet event.  The babe in the manger will become the crucified man on the cross.  Christ is born to die for humankind. I also understand that Christmas is a challenging time for clergy.  In addition to the special Advent services, parishioners want a...

A couple of weeks ago, my wife, our daughter, and I were returning from the memorial service for a friend in east Tennessee.    Stephanie, our daughter, was providing our music from Pandora on her iPhone.    A song came up that I had probably heard before, but the words suddenly got my attention.     “A Strange Way to Save the World”  is written from Joseph’s perspective and points out the incongruity of the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem.    Joseph voices his wonder at the strange way that God has chosen to work.    Imagine, God was placing the plan for the salvation of the world in the hands of a teenage girl and a village craftsman! The song reminds me that our God works in unusual and paradoxical ways more times than we imagine.  So many of us are obsessed with planning and control that we rarely leave time and space for God to intervene in our lives.  Is this because we do not really believe that God...

As we gathered with several hundred other worshippers at our church for the Christmas Eve service, I was struck by the way in which this assembly reflected the nature of the church.  Many present were long time members of this particular body, faithful saints who have faced life’s challenges and remained faithful.  Some were relatively recent additions, while others were visiting family members, friends, and guests.  Undoubtedly, some were not believers but they were present to hear the Good News of Messiah’s birth. Various types of families were represented—nuclear and extended, single parent families, unmarried individuals, in-laws and a few ex-mates.  All saw the value of being together for this time of common worship, even if it may have taken an extra effort and some emotional anxiety to be there. And there were children present.  A few had gone to the nursery, but for the most part even babies and preschoolers were in the service, adding a bi...

Chaplain Pierce McIntyre offers helpful insights and prayers for dealing with every day life in his regular e-mails to friends and colleagues.  In a recent e-mail, he pointed out that there is an inherent contradiction in the term “holiday stress.”    A holiday is “a celebratory day, break, day of rest or vacation.”  Stress means “anxiety, impatience, and nervous tension.”  The two really don’t seem to go together, but we know that they exist in combination too often these days. We are now immersed in the “holiday season’ that is inaugurated with Thanksgiving, reaches its peak with Christmas, and then closes out with New Year’s Day.  This is a time of feasting, visiting, giving, reflection, and worship for most of us.  As McIntyre notes, however, it is often a time of stress as well. So how do we deal with the stress?  What are some things we can do to deal with the stress? First, we can set priorities.  What do we really ...

A couple of weeks ago, my wife, our daughter, and I were returning from the memorial service for a friend in east Tennessee.   Stephanie, our daughter, was providing our music from Pandora on her iPhone.   A song came up that I had probably heard before, but the words suddenly got my attention.   “A Strange Way to Save the World” is written from Joseph’s perspective and points out the incongruity of the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem.   Joseph voices his wonder at the strange way that God has chosen to work.   Imagine, God was placing the plan for the salvation of the world in the hands of a teenage girl and a village craftsman! The song reminds me that our God works in unusual and paradoxical ways more times than we imagine.  So many of us are obsessed with planning and control that we rarely leave time and space for God to intervene in our lives.  Is this because we do not really believe that God might break through the ordinary, mundane...