Difficult Forgiveness

I just want people to do what they say they are going to do. Make a promise, keep it. Make a commitment, do it. Why is that so hard? Is that such an unreasonable expectation?

I spent hours on the phone today trying to get people to just do their jobs and honor their commitments. It makes me frustrated and angry and want to take vengeance! Just do what you say you are going to do!

So I got to thinking . . . about forgiveness. And it seems to me that forgiveness in the abstract is easy; but forgiveness for specific things is hard. Like, doing what you say you're going to do and keeping your commitments. Have I failed at this? I'm sure I have. So . . . Matthew 18 . . . the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant . . . he's forgiven a huge debt, but won't forgive his fellow servant who owes him a small debt. See me in that man? Yep. How many commitments, promises, have I not kept? And yet our Lord has forgiven me. Now I grow angry and frustrated and want vengeance on my neighbor who has done the same as I, yet on a smaller scale?

Let me quote St. Paul here: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25a)

Lord, help me do better.

Inauguration Weekend

I enjoy watching the inaugurations of presidents. I enjoy watching the funerals as well. The careful ceremony, the details, the seriousness are impressive. I was happy with a couple of others things as well. First of all, that the inaugural address was short! Only 16 minutes. Say what you have to say and sit down. Excellent. Just don't like it when presidents drone on and on for 45 minutes or more.

Second, the inaugural parade was . . . a real parade! I just hate the Thanksgiving Day parades on television now, both from New York and from Philadelphia. They're not parades anymore - all they show are the production pieces, the singing and dancing, and you don't really get to see much of the real parade. Well, this was a parade. A real one. Bands playing and marching by. I liked that.

Third, the prayers at the inauguration were overtly Christian. (Except for the Jewish rabbi, who, of course, wasn't.) But of the others (three at the beginning and two others at the end) none tip-toed around praying to the FATHER (and offending feminists) nor praying in JESUS name (and offending other religions). Refreshing.

However, that good was quite undone with the abomination called a prayer service at the National Cathedral this morning. Represented were six or seven religions and I don't know how many Christian denominations. Below is a list of the participants:

• Carlyle Begay – Navajo Nation
• Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington – Episcopal Church
• James B. Magness, Bishop Suffragan for Federal Ministries – Episcopal Church
• Randall Marshall Hollerith, Dean, Washington National Cathedral – Episcopal Church
• Cantor Mikhail Manevich – Washington Hebrew Congregation
• Rabbi Fred Raskind – Temple Bet Yam, St. Augustine Florida
• Alveda King – Pastoral associate, Priests for Life, Atlanta, Georgia
• Harry Jackson – Hope Christian Church, Beltsville, Maryland
• Narayanachar L. Dialakote – Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Lanham, Maryland
• D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Imam Mohamed Magid – All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, Sterling, Virginia
• Sajid Tarar – Baltimore, Maryland
• Greg Laurie – Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, California
• Jack Graham – Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas
• His Eminence Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
• Rosemarie Logan Duncan, Canon of Worship, Washington National Cathedral – Episcopal Church
• David Jeremiah – Shadow Mountain Community Church, El Cajon, California
• Ronnie Floyd – Cross Church, Springdale, Arkansas
• David Swanson – First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Florida
• Jesse Singh – Chairman of the Board of Sikh Associations of Baltimore, Maryland
• Ian McIlraith – Soka Gakkai International - USA, Los Angeles, California
• Anthony Vance – National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States
• Cissie Graham Lynch – Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Ramiro Pena – Christ the King Baptist Church, Waco, Texas
• Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. – Roman Catholic Church
• Darrell Scott – New Spirit Revival Center, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

It just doesn't do anyone any good to pretend we're all the same and all praying to the same God. The plain and simple fact is that we're not. These different religions and denominations are different for a reason - because they believe and teach different things! Contradictory things. And those difference matter. This is not just a list of different motivational speakers (although that's sometimes all people think religion is), these are people who all claim to be speaking an eternal truth. And I'm sorry, they're not all correct. If Baha'ism is correct, then the others are wrong. If Islam is the truth, then Christianity is a lie. The best way to "coexist" is not to pretend we're all the same, but to understand that we're not and talk to each other on that basis.

So, we'll see what happens now, when the crowds empty out. How will Mr. Trump be as a president? I am hopeful. He (as all presidents) is in my prayers. To the only one, true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Just to be clear :-)

Christmas Eve Fail

Hazard #117 when you do not own your own church building and have to remember to bring everything you need with you:

Forgetting the candles for the candlelight service.

And yes, remembered when there was no longer enough time to return home and get them. :-(  But the service went well anyway, because the Light of the World was present and proclaimed in His Word.

And a good number of visitors this year! Not local, unfortunately, but from out of town. But nice to have them with us. And today, the festival Divine Service. It will be a good day.  :-)

It's NOT Your House

This is embarrassing. President Obama shows himself not to be a president for all people (as he so famously said when he campaigned) but only for those who agree with him.

A couple days ago, when heckled in the White House, the president said to his heckler, "You're in my house." No, Mr. President, no. It's not your house, it's the people's house. All the people. All the presidents before you knew that. It's not yours to do with what you want.

A sad and embarrassing day.