When the World Went Mad

I said in a sermon a few weeks ago that sometimes I sit and try to figure out exactly when the world went mad.  When did the world lose its mind?  If you don’t agree with me that the world has gone mad, do you never watch/check the news?  Do you not watch “COPS”?  The decisions made by individuals, organizations, factions, and governments are so often simply whack in my humble and unbiased opinion.  It’s a crazy world.  I’ve wondered when it became that way.  You’ll be glad to know I’ve figured it out.

For a while I thought we’re approaching the 50^th anniversary of the big turning point for the sanity of the world.  February 9, 1964, the Beatles’ first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, brought a cultural change.  The new emphasis on youth, freedom of expression, and throwing off former norms began a major shift.  Disillusionment and the emergence of a new proliferation of drug abuse came along with that, and eventually brought many people and neighborhoods into ruin.  The drug-related early deaths of several rock music stars of the era seemed to personify much of what was happening to the world people once new.  With the war in Viet Nam coming along toward the end of that decade, I began to think that it was the 1960s that ushered in the madness we have now inherited, with the turning point being February 9, 1964.

But I had to back up from there and think about where and when the seeds were sown that bore fruit in the 1960s.  Sure enough, the influences that would shape the 1960s were coming out of the new affluence of the 1950s, and backing up from there, of course, much of what shaped the 1950s came from the second world war of the 1940s.  Much of that event that rocked the world came out of greed, madness, and a will-to-power not just found in Adolf Hitler, but in many humans in many nations.

You may be seeing the picture coming into focus.  When you start trying to figure out when the world went mad you just keep backing up in time, and that’s where the pursuit took me.  But I finally did come to a moment that signaled the corruption of all that was good and right with the world.  It was when the first people God created used the gift of free will to oppose the God who gave it to them.  It was when they didn’t trust God and bit off more than they could chew.  When they were expelled from the garden they ended up east of Eden, in the land of Nod, which means “wandering.”  That’s when it all started.  That’s what it says in the Bible.

Thanksgiving is Sacred

This Thanksgiving there were more stores open on Thanksgiving day than in years past, and that caused some controversy amongst the American public.  The concern was primarily for the employees of those stores who were being pressed into service on Thanksgiving day rather than having the day off.  I saw a story about it on a network newscast where they interviewed a woman who was out shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  She was very opposed to stores being open for business on Thanksgiving day.  Her reason?  She said, “Thanksgiving is sacred.”

Really?  What does that mean?  What does “sacred” mean?  I suppose that woman was using the word to say that Thanksgiving day should be regarded with a certain reverence, but I think that because of the religious connotations of the word, it might be a rather strong choice of adjectives in this instance.

We could say that it’s good to set aside a day to give thanks for all our blessings.  We could say it’s helpful.  We could say it’s healthy.  But sacred?  What makes something sacred anyway?  I would think that some kind of God-involvement would make something sacred.  Something that is set aside for God or by God is often referred to as sacred.  With that in mind, is there a day other than Thanksgiving day that better qualifies to be described as sacred?

How about every Saturday if you’re Jewish or Seventh-day Adventist?  How about every Sunday if you’re Christian?  How about one day out of every seven if you’re anyone wanting to live according to the way prescribed by the God of the Bible?  Rather than one day every year being regarded as sacred, how about one day every week?   What about one day every week where it’s not mostly about money and it’s not even mostly about family, but it’s mostly about God? 

“Thanksgiving is sacred” is not in the Bible.  “It is good to give thanks to the Lord” (Psalm 92:1) is in the Bible, as is “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

Our Guardian God

Angels are very prominent in the Christmas story and in the celebration of Christmas.  They’re prominent in the Bible’s narratives regarding Jesus’ birth in that they make announcements to Joseph (Matthew 1) and Mary (Luke 1) and to shepherds (Luke 2).  They’re also prominent in the celebration of Christmas as we know it in the modern era.  Just look at the pictures that adorn the front of Christmas cards.  Note the lyrics of Christmas carols.  Notice the decorations on front lawns and you’ll see angels included quite often.

Christmas season or not, many people like angels.  Many people especially like the thought of a personal, guardian angel.  Many like to think about, “my angel watching over me.”  I suppose it’s comforting to think of a heavenly being with no other assignment, no other purpose, nothing else to do than to watch over little ole me.  It’s not in the Bible, though there is something close to that in Matthew 18:10 (… their angels…).

But what if there was a time when every person on earth did have a personal, guardian angel.  What if there was a time when the population of the earth was such that there were enough angels to go around, so everyone on earth could have an angel of their very own.  But what if there are a fixed number of angels?  What if there were a certain number of angels created in the beginning and there aren’t more being added as time goes by?  What if, as the population of the earth grew, there came a time when there were no longer enough angels to go around?  And what if God decided that that predicament wouldn’t lead to a worse thing, but to a better thing?  After all, that seems to be the way God works.  So what if God determined that the better thing would be that rather than everyone having a personal angel, a personal representative of God, they would instead have a personal God?  What if God determined the improvement this predicament would usher in would be that in the Spirit God would spread Himself around and be with every person, everywhere, all the time?

That string of events isn’t in the Bible, but in this Christmas season it’s good to remember that what is in the Bible is that the Savior born unto us is introduced in Matthew’s gospel as Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23).  Better than angels (Hebrews 1:4-14) is the personal guardian of your soul (1 Peter 2:25), who says, “Lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).