http://forthright.antville.org/stories/704520

For those of you who aren't subscribers to Forthright Magazine, you may be interested in the article "Considering 'The Passion of the Christ.'" It raises some questions about the film released today.

"I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm not sure exactly what habit or practice of his day Emerson referred to here, but I've often thought the best way to gather would be to do so in silence before the church began its meeting. Though I can't throw it up against the preaching or in any way diminish its importance.

Of course, I come from 19 years of experience in Brazil, where pre-meeting ritual is a noisy, huggy, hand-shaking, back-slapping greeting of every single person. I like that. I like it a lot. But I wonder if we don't often do it at the expense of our concentration on the person of Christ present at our meetings and of our reverence to the sovereign Creator.

The Lord has set no instructions on this. It is one of the incidentals that we are free to establish according to our time and culture. So it's good occasionally to stop and question whether our practice is promoting that which the Lord has specifically commanded.

That's the impression I got in an email sig, where a guy gave three phone numbers:

(H)<- rarely answer
(W)<- leave message
(P)<- emergency only

Would you call this guy?

Last week, was it?, unusual atmospheric conditions put a large circle around the sun. I got three shots, though how does one take a picture of the sun with a digital camera? So I put the sun behind the edge of the roof and went at it.

This is a wonderful time of the year, when so many have holiday time from work, families get together, and a "kinder, gentler," not to mention slower, time prevails. At the same time, it can be a lonely time for some.

Today for lunch, we invited sr. Benedito over to spend the day with us. He's a 72-year-old widower, with no close family. He often feels lonely and has lived most of his life over the past ten years in boarding houses.

Leila played the flute for him, and he and I -- mostly he -- talked the hours away. He is a simple person, a manual laborer still at it, when he can find work. But he is quick on the smile, often finds a good thought in every situation, and enjoys being with God's people. So we enjoyed the day with him.

Our days will be richer, our lives less selfish, our hours more joyful, when we share with those in need. The needs are more often spiritual, emotional, and relational than physical. And since today is considered the International Day of Peace, those individual efforts toward bringing the peace of God and the communion of the Spirit are what will make the difference.

Shall we make this the year when we make not only the holidays, but every day, a kinder, gentler, slower day, in order to notice our neighbor who needs a good listener, a friend at one's side, a word of encouragement, a pointer to the joys of God's love?

Perhaps you need to find it first yourself. It is close within your grasp. Then, you and I may offer what we have found to others in need as well.

May God's blessing be upon you every day of this new year.