Christmas
December 27, 2018
Scripture Reading: Psalm 148
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord! –Psalm 148:11-14
One of the greatest challenges the world faces today is bringing together the young and the old. There are six generations in our world today. We have even tried to name them. The Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers, etc. Each has a different worldview than the other. My mother lived through the Great Depression and she made good use of everything. I gave up buying plasticware and paper plates for my Christmas party to save work because I would find her in the kitchen after dinner digging those items out of the trash and washing them for reuse. Now I know it is not only economical to use regular dishes but better for the environment. Mom was right, this time.
The church always searching for its unique offerings to the world needs to consider that we are a great place to help generations blend together, learn from one another, and create a more loving world.
I must confess I wondered where the adults were when I watched on the news recently as a high school wrestler had his dreadlocks cut off because the referee refused to let him wrestle with them. His teammates attempted to support him, but I saw no one else stepping up to help. He gave up his dreadlocks apparently for his team and he won the match. He had been wrestling all season with the hairstyle It appeared to be a decision of the ref. It appeared to be racism. We must struggle with the question, “Why do we need to make the next generations conform to our worldview?” I remember when one of our church’s youth who is a good musician started singing with the adult choir. One Sunday he arrived with green hair. He was greeted with some smiles, most of us remembering duck tails or ratted hair, but with acceptance as he graced our choir with his lovely voice. Perhaps the real question with which we need to struggle is “How can we learn through sharing the experiences of the various generations to make this world a better place?”
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we enforce our taste on others as your taste. Amen.