Dreams of Christmas

 

Christmas 2019

In 1942, the Hollywood musical Holiday Inn premiered, featuring two of the biggest stars of the time, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.  Everyone who was involved with the movie thought that its song “Be Careful, That’s My Heart” would be the big musical moment.  How many of us remember that song? It was released as a single and did well. But it was the second single from the movie, released that fall, that would become its best-known moment.  A song that everyone making the movie liked but that no one thought of as very special.

White Christmas. Continue reading “Dreams of Christmas”

Surrender

Fourth Sunday of Advent (A)

And I don’t know what the future is holdin’ in store
I don’t know where I’m goin’, I’m not sure where I’ve been
There’s a spirit that guides me, a light that shines for me
My life is worth the livin’, I don’t need to see the end

Sweet, sweet surrender
Live, live without care
Like a fish in the water
Like a bird in the air

– from the song Sweet Surrender, by John Denver

Surrender.

How does that word make you feel?

For most people, it is not a pleasant or a desirable thing, at least at first glance.  It evokes feelings of defeat, failure, disgrace.  It may evoke the fear of being defenseless before one’s foes, or something that is dangerous. It may evoke the shame that comes from feeling powerless over compulsions or addictions, bad habits or sins.

On the other hand, surrender can be a positive thing: the dropping of one’s defenses, in trust, in the presence of one’s beloved. The sense of feeling safe, loved, and accepted as one is.  Such a surrender is not easy to achieve, though, because any surrender feels risky and generates fear and anxiety. Continue reading “Surrender”

Visions of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent (A)

 

Have you ever visited Washington, DC?

Whether we have or haven’t been there, the very name evokes a series of images and feelings in our minds.  For some people, Washington means distant bureaucrats who haven’t a clue about how ordinary Americans live or the problems they face.  For others, Washington is a symbol of corruption and partisan strife.  For still others, it is a place where nothing of substance is ever accomplished, and where politicians are more interested in placing the blame than in repairing the game. Continue reading “Visions of Advent”

Book Review: Autism and the Church

How do we think Biblically about autism, something that was not known as such when the books of the Bible were written? This is not a merely abstract question. If, according to one estimate, one out of every one hundred people is autistic, then autism is already a part of the Church, the Body of Christ. Following Saint Paul’s analogy, the Church cannot say to autistic people, “We do not need you”. Autistic people need love and support from their fellow Christians because of their unique challenges and needs. On the other hand, autistic people need the Church to take seriously their gifts and perspectives, and allow them to challenge some typical perspectives that may not be Christlike at all.

This is the task that Grant Macaskill, a professor of New Testament studies at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, takes on in writing this book. He brings to bear on this project his expertise as a Biblical scholar as well as his personal experience of being on the spectrum – while remaining sensitive to the fact that “if you meet one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism”. He shows a sensitivity to the needs of autistic people at various points on the spectrum as well as those who love them. Continue reading “Book Review: Autism and the Church”