Pastor's Page for December, 2004
Pastor John L. Freesemann
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
Isaiah 2: 4
Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is approaching. We are in the beginning stages of Advent - the season of hope - and working our way toward the birth of the Christ child, the Prince of Peace. We await the coming of the one of whom Isaiah speaks, the one that brings an end to the warfare of this world and introduces God's peaceful kingdom, the one who proclaims an alternative to the empire around us.
As I write this it has just been announced that we are sending more troops to Iraq. So much for the cause of peace being embraced by the administration of resident Bush! It's not going to happen soon … and it's not going to happen late. And, it doesn't matter within the walls of the White House whether it is Advent, and soon to be Christmas, or not. It doesn't matter whether the world is yearning for a time of peace or not. What matters is "staying the course," never admitting that you have made a mistake, and continuing to follow the misdirected foreign policy set up by a self proclaimed "war president" concerned primarily with world domination.
Oh sure, a tree will be put up - it's a great photo op (just like the eggs at Easter and the pardoned turkey at Thanksgiving). All sorts of lip service will be paid to the season, and the proclamations of great faith within the halls of the administration, the offices of members of the cabinet, etc. will not be in short supply. But, the actual application of the most precious message that comes to us in this season ("Peace on Earth - Good Will to All") will be in shorter supply than brains at a certain ranch outside of Crawford, Texas.
The work for peace - for the advent of God's peaceful kingdom, not the domination of the world that some seek - must be done by the rest of us. It must be done as we apologize to the world and say, "The resident doesn't speak for me." It must be done as we support those endeavors that work for peaceful solutions for the problems of our world. It must be done as we continue to say WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER and as we continue to support our troops by demanding that they be brought home (and cared for after they get here).
It is Advent, a time of hope, and Christmas approaches and offering an alternative to the empire and working toward God's peaceful kingdom depend upon us. I invite you to join me in this most precious work.
Recommended Radio:
| KOIT |
1260 AM |
continuous Christmas music |
| KQKE |
960 AM |
Air America (Political Commentary) |
Recommended Books:
| Brother to a Dragonfly by Will D. Campbell |
| Thieves in High Places by Jim Hightower |
Quote of the Month:
As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
H. L. Mencken
Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920
