Post 204--Billy Graham Gone Home

The following is the Dr. Jim Denison of the Denison Forum's write up on Billy Graham's passing.  I have not following Graham's career and do not know enough to write a memorial column about him. So, I forward to you Denison's article about Graham. I may not have been that closely associated with Graham and his style may not have been mine, but I do know that thousands of folk became Christian through his preaching. As I write this brief introduction, I am shedding a few tears  not of sadness so much as gratitude to God for His gift to the world in the shape and sound of Billy Graham--a man of great humility and honesty.

At the bottom of this post I leave you with the URL of a similar article from Religion News Service.

The night I met Billy Graham

Dr. Jim Denison | February 21, 2018

When I heard the news this morning that Dr. Billy Graham had died, my thoughts turned immediately to October 12, 2001. Dr. Graham was conducting an outreach event at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California. Terrorists had attacked America just a month earlier. I was part of a delegation from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area sent to invite him to preach in our area. Our group was ushered into the stadium's locker room where Dr. Graham was resting. His broken foot was in a walking cast and propped on the coffee table before him. He was sipping a glass of water and looking over his sermon notes. Each of us took turns shaking his hand. When my turn came, he looked deeply into my eyes and, I felt, into my soul. I have never seen such purity in a person before. A sense of holiness settled over me as we spoke. I truly felt myself to be closer to God as I sat with him. It was my responsibility to explain to him the reason for our visit and present a book containing more than seven hundred letters of invitation. After I made our request, he asked me why I felt we needed him to come. I understood his question to be related to the spiritual needs of our area, so I spent a few minutes describing the lostness of our cities and our great need for spiritual awakening. Dr. Graham listened politely. Then he explained his question: He understood why we would need a spiritual revival, but why did I feel he was the person to help? At his advanced age, with his infirmities, how could he be of help to us? Here was a man who had preached in person to more than eighty million people and led more than three million to Christ through his sermons and public invitations. He was commonly considered the greatest evangelist after the apostle Paul. And yet he was genuinely uncertain he had the capacities to do what we were asking him to do. Dr. Graham took several weeks to pray and reflect before accepting our invitation. The Metroplex Mission with Billy Graham in October 2002 was one of the largest and most effective events in the history of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. "I've never really preached in my life" What explains the astounding success of Billy Graham? His story might make more sense if he had been the son of a gifted pastor or senator, or if he had grown up in a culture-changing environment like New York City or Los Angeles. But he was born in a frame house outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, to hardworking farmers. His elementary school teacher thought he had a gift for communication. However, he recalled giving his first speech as a class assignment: "My knees shook, my hands perspired, and I vowed to myself that I would never be a public speaker!" In 1934, the famous evangelist Mordecai Ham was preaching a three-month revival in Charlotte. Sixteen-year-old Billy Graham attended with his friend, Grady Wilson. Ham later described what happened: "Two young high school boys attended our meeting. They thought that everything I said was directed their way; so they decided to take seats in the choir, where I couldn't point my finger at them. They didn't pretend to be singers, but they wanted to be behind me. . . . One night a man spoke to them during the invitation and said, 'Come on, let's go up front.' Billy and Grady both went to the altar. Billy was saved, and Grady dedicated his life to Christian service." Grady Wilson became one of Billy Graham's most trusted ministry partners. Three years later, Graham enrolled in Florida Bible Institute. He would canoe across the Hillsborough River to a little island where he practiced preaching four borrowed sermons to the birds, alligators, and tree stumps. Dean John Minder then gave him the chance to preach to some real people. Terrified, Graham replied, "You don't understand, I've never really preached in my life." Dean Minder persisted, and Graham preached the next Sunday. He flew through all four of his sermons in ten minutes. But when he asked if anyone wanted to receive Christ, several raised their hands. Not long after, he got on his knees and accepted God's call to preach the gospel. Included in America's "Most Admired" 61 times From Florida, Graham moved to Chicago to enroll at Wheaton College, where he received his degree and met Ruth Bell. They were married two months after graduation. In the coming years, he pastored a church in Illinois, started a radio program, led thousands to Christ at Youth for Christ events, and, at age twenty-nine, became the youngest college president in the country at Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He and his evangelistic team-Cliff Barrows, Bev Shea, and Grady Wilson-began conducting crusades. In Modesto, California, they committed to rely on local funds rather than emphasizing money, to refuse to be alone with a woman who was not their wife, to support local churches, and not to emphasize numbers or publicity. This so-called "Modesto Manifesto" would undergird all the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has done over the decades since. The Los Angeles Crusade of 1949 marked a turning point. The meetings were scheduled for three weeks but grew to eight. Approximately 350,000 people attended the meetings. In the following years, Graham held crusades in over six hundred cities and 185 different countries. He was the first Christian to preach behind the Iron Curtain after World War II and became a friend to every US president from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama. Last year, Dr. Graham was included on America's "Most Admired" list for a record sixty-first time. (Queen Elizabeth is second with forty-nine appearances.) He has received twenty honorary doctorates, the Congressional Gold Medal (Congress's highest award), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civil award America can bestow). He wrote thirty-three books; the film studio he helped create has produced more than two million decisions for Christ. He was instrumental in founding Christianity Today, the leading evangelical magazine in America. His son, Franklin, continues to conduct evangelistic events across the country. His daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, is a truly anointed preacher and teacher as well. My wife and I have been honored to be Anne's friend for many years and to support her ministry with gratitude. (Dr. Graham often called her "the best preacher in our family.") "Well done, good and faithful servant" What explains Billy Graham's life and legacy? I am convinced that the secret to his success is the fact that he has never focused on success. His genuine humility and complete dependence on God have enabled the Holy Spirit to use him in truly historic ways. Jesus noted, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). Dr. Graham is right: "Our job in life is not to be successful, but to be faithful." In his autobiography, Just As I Am, he wrote, "If anything has been accomplished through my life, it has been solely God's doing, not mine, and He-not I-must get the credit." Dr. Graham often said that the first thing he would do when he got to heaven was to ask, "Why me, Lord? Why did You choose a farm boy from North Carolina to preach to so many people, to have such a wonderful team of associates, and to have a part in what You were doing in the latter half of the twentieth century?" He admits that "only God knows the answer." Now he knows the answer as well. Without a doubt, he has now heard Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23). Thank you, Lord, for Billy Graham. https://religionnews.com/2018/02/21/billy-graham-americas-pre-eminent-evangelist-dies-at-99/

Post 166--From Murder to Execution in Peace

Jim Denison of the Denison Forum shares a story with us today that highlights the story of one person's movement from crime and murder to one of peace in execution. It is not a unique story; it happens time and again, but it is not often told in public. It is a deeply Christian story, though I will not claim that such stories can happen only in Christianity. It is a demonstration of the power of forgiveness on the part of one deeply hurt, though the real moment of change had come earlier.  Please read slowly to let the story sink into your heart and captivate your emotions:

Kenneth Williams was serving a life sentence for killing a cheerleader. He escaped in 1999 and was involved in a traffic wreck which killed a man named Michael Greenwood. Williams then killed another man, Cecil Boren, while on the run. He was executed last night by the state of Arkansas for murdering Boren. Michael Greenwood's daughter, Kayla Greenwood, learned a few days ago that Williams had a twenty-one-year-old daughter he had not seen for seventeen years and a three-year-old granddaughter he had never met. Kayla's mother then bought plane tickets so Williams's daughter and granddaughter could fly from Washington state to Arkansas to see him a day before his execution. Kayla Greenwood sent a message to Williams through his attorney: "I told him we forgive him and where I stood on it." When Williams found out what they were doing, "he was crying to the attorney." Here's the rest of the story. Williams told an interviewer that he has been "stabilized and sustained by the inner peace and forgiveness I've received through a relationship with Jesus Christ." He chose to appear before a prison review board, not because he expected to receive clemency but "so I could show them I was no longer the person I once was. God has transformed me, and even the worst of us can be reformed and renewed. Revealing these truths meant more to me than being granted clemency. I'm still going to eventually die someday, but to stand up for God in front of man, that's my victory." No one is beyond the reach of God's forgiveness: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, my emphasis). Do you see any loopholes or ambiguity here? If "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15), are any sinners exempt from his grace? However, the body of Christ is often the means by which we experience the grace of Christ. We are called to pardon those who sin against us because we have been pardoned and to demonstrate such grace to the world. It's harder to believe that Christ forgives us if Christians won't forgive us. It's easier to believe that the Father loves us if his children love us. In a graceless culture that measures us by what we do and how we look, agape love is a powerful and lasting witness. Our benevolence and unity point others to the One we love and serve (John 13:35). St. Gaudentius of Brescia (died AD 410) explained that the bread of the Lord's Supper is an appropriate connection to his body "because, as there are many grains of wheat in the flour from which bread is made by mixing it with water and baking it with fire, so also we know that many members make up the one body of Christ which is brought to maturity by the fire of the Holy Spirit." Gaudentius extended the metaphor to the cup as well: "Similarly, the wine of Christ's blood, drawn from the many grapes of the vineyard that he had planted, is extracted in the wine-press of the cross." Our broken culture measures Christ by Christians. Who is your Kenneth Williams?

Post 139—Wishing people “Merry Christmas"

Post 139—Wishing people “Merry Christmas"                            

Jim Denison somehow has switched the banner under which he writes and now does so under the Denison Forum. Anyhow, he has an interesting take on whether or not to wish people “Merry Christmas” that I am sharing with you today. A relevant topic for this pre-Christmas week, don’t you think?

He wisely ends without giving you a definite “yes” or “no.” So, here it is and think it through with him. Instead, he asks you to think through your motive for your “yes” or “no,” trusting the Spirit of God to guide you.  That’s a great way to avoid any semblance of legalism like Yes! Or No!

Dr. Denison, you have the floor….

Should we wish others a "Merry Christmas" this week? Americans are deeply divided on the issue. According to a new survey, 47 percent of us think we should greet each other with "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" out of respect for those of different religious faiths; 46 percent of us disagree.

As we will see, the issue is larger than it seems.

I can understand the case for being inclusive. Christians are to defend our faith "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15) by "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). We want our beliefs to be respected, so we should respect the beliefs of others.

In addition, Christmas is not a holiday mandated by Scripture. It was not celebrated by the church until the fourth century after Jesus' birth. Nowhere does the Bible require us to wish others "Merry Christmas," an expression that did not become popular until the early twentieth century.

Why, then, shouldn't we broaden the holiday to include everyone regardless of their faith (or lack thereof)? Consider three questions.

One: What about other religions?

If "Merry Christmas" might offend non-Christians, could Ramadan offend non-Muslims? Could Hanukkah offend non-Jews? Could Vesak (the celebration of Buddha's birthday) offend non-Buddhists? Should any religious holiday that might offend any person who is not part of that religion be abolished or amended?

Two: What about the sentiments of Christians?

Requiring Christians to say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" feels to many believers like a depreciation of their Savior and their faith. If we should avoid offending non-believers, why is it acceptable to offend believers?

Three: Should the minority dictate to the majority?

Some claim that Christian holidays are unique among religious traditions in America because they are so ubiquitous. You can ignore Ramadan or Hanukkah if you wish, but it's hard to avoid the Christmas season. Thus, Christians, more than those of other faith traditions, should be made to honor the sentiments of non-Christians.

By this logic, however, the minority would always be able to dictate behavior to the majority. This logic would extend even to heaven and hell. In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis exposes what is behind the claim that none in heaven should be happy if souls are perishing in hell: "The demand of the loveless and self-imprisoned that they should be allowed to blackmail the universe: that till they consent to be happy (on their own terms) no one else shall taste joy; that theirs should be the final power; that Hell should be able to veto Heaven."

So, how should we approach the "Merry Christmas" debate? Here's my advice: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how he wants to use your words and witness in engaging non-believers today. Ask for the sensitivity to respect the beliefs of others while stating your beliefs clearly and boldly. If the Spirit leads you to wish someone a Merry Christmas, do so with sincerity and grace. If he leads you to defer, be sure you do so only out of sensitivity to them and not from a lack of commitment on your part.

Here's the larger lesson behind this simple subject: We are called to be Jesus' witness in the power of the Spirit every moment of every day (Acts 1:8). When we fulfill our calling, those who accept the Christ we proclaim will have a Merry Christmas, indeed.

Post 121--Bieber the Believer

I’ve had the following document on my blog waiting list for a long time, since December 15, 2015.  There have always been reasons, usually good and valid reasons, I pushed it out of the way to make space for other concerns. I decided today to share it with you, old as it is, simply because I think it such an interesting document. I know next to nothing about this Bieber while you probably do. This issue here may be an old one for you, something like “been there, done that” kind of thing. Nevertheless, here it is, straight from the Denision Forum of the above date:

BIEBER THE BELIEVER: THE FAITH OF JUSTIN BIEBER

·                                    Written by Nick Pitts

In Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, a young Lucio observed that "our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we often might win by fearing to attempt." These doubts, Lucio describes, are often silently underscored by the axiom that appearances are deceiving, what you see is not what you get. So it is necessary to proceed with caution—if at all. However, could doubts be more of a hindrance than a help?

In the October/November issue of Complex Magazine, Justin Bieber was an incubator for doubts when he boldly came out with his faith. One person expressed a common sentiment, writing that it was a "publicity stunt, shameless little twerp." The ladies of The View, a daytime television talk show, expressed hesitation over his overt and bold comments. Fox News commentator Juan Williams even skeptically weighed in, saying: "Do you really believe… that he's studying the Bible; that he cares about the Bible; that he cares about anything but Justin Bieber?" 

Williams and company were not alone, joined unexpectedly by Justin himself. "I think that people, as soon as they start hearing me say I'm a Christian, they're like, 'Whoa Justin, back up, take a step back.'" 

Why the doubts and hesitation? Justin has a long history and a longer list of fans affectionately known as 'beliebers' who have followed him through his antics. Who can forget how Bieber first came on to the scene, informing audiences that his end goal would be to make "One Less Lonely Girl"? His primary subject matter interest would be the "Baby," some girl he met "One Time." Singer and rapper Usher joined him for a time as he tried to find "Somebody to Love." He wanted to be that "Boyfriend" that could make her "Smile." However, this litany of chart topping hits may have created reasons to celebrate, but they also caused some problems.

Such problems include those with the police. He has been arrested twice, once for DUI while allegedly drag-racing the streets of Miami and another time for assaulting a limo driver. Then there was the video of a sleeping Bieber, filmed by an alleged prostitute.  But that video was overshadowed to a certain degree by another video in which Justin was heard making racist comments and jokes. 

So how does Justin respond to these individuals and their comparison of his past life with his present direction? "I do not want to shove this down anyone's throat. I just wanna honestly live like Jesus." 

Bieber, like the Apostle Paul to the church at Galatia (1:13-15), is not running away from his past, he is embracing it. In Bieber's words:

"If we can understand that we're all imperfect, let's come to God and come for his help. You're not weak by doing that. I think that's a common misperception of Christians, that you're being weak because you can't handle it. None of us can handle this world, dude! It's eating us alive. But, man, I don't wanna have to do it on my own." 

Instead of dwelling on the past, Bieber is in love in the present and wants to tell everyone about it. Describing his relationship with God like that of a girlfriend, Bieber told Complex: 

"If I have an awesome, bomb girlfriend, I'm gonna wanna show her off and go around and tell people my girl is the sh** [editorial censorship]. I'm not gonna cheat on her because she's the best. It's like with God: The whole thing with religion is you present yourself holy and bring your offerings so that God can bless you, when the whole point of the relationship [should be], 'No, I'm gonna do this because he loves me. I'm gonna do this because he's amazing and not because [I] have to, because [I] want to.'" 

Unconventional in his approach and candid in his appeal, Bieber is raising eyebrows and causing heads to turn. He is offering the world another, albeit unusual, example of Christ. "I think that with Christians, they've left such a bad taste in people's mouths. Just like, overly pushy with the subject, overly churchy and religious." Instead, he is offering a different approach, one in which he is "sharing what I'm going through and what I'm feeling."

What Justin is feeling is something intensely personal and less transactional. Bieber finds, "That's the whole thing with religion that's been throwing off the people. It's not a 'have to.' It should be just like a personal relationship. Like, 'Hey, I love you because you first loved me.'

Post 110—May 5: A Tale of Four Celebrations

As so frequently happens, I am unexpectedly again interrupting the flow of thought from Post 109—unexpectedly for me, at least. I’ll try to continue that train of thought in the next entry.  Do I need to apologize? Well, at least, this way you can never quite tell what the next post will bring you. It’s called keeping you in suspense!                                                  

Mexican's Cinco de Mayo

I have occasionally reproduced in this blog some items from the Denison Forum. Today, I will not reproduce much from them, but I will summarize a bit of their entry for today, May 5, 2016. They encourage us today to celebrate two important events, the first of which is called Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 defeat of France at the Battle of Puebla. This victory, where a rag-tag force of 2,000 overcame 6,000 well-trained French troops, bolstered the Mexican people in their resistance against the French. Six years later, French forces withdrew. Cinco de Mayo remains a symbol of the Mexican people's struggle against imperialistic forces. Since we have many Mexicans in Canada and in view of our important trade agreement NAFTA with them, I considered it a neighbourly thing to draw your attention to this worthwhile celebration of independence.  We can be doubly grateful in view of the fact that Canada did not have to fight its way to independence from Mother UK. Our transfer of power came amicably, though I am not sure our Quebecois compatriots would interpret that transfer in quite the same way.

Jewish Holocaust Memorial 

And then there is the Holocaust Memorial Day known as Yuom HaShoah. In Jerusalem, all places of entertainment, bars, restaurants, cinema, and theater must be closed by law. At 10:00 A.M. a siren will be heard for one minute." When that siren sounds today, traffic on the roads will stop. The entire nation will cease all activities as its people remember what happened and pledge that it must never happen again. I refer you to the Denison Forum itself to follow up on their suggestions for our proper response. It is well worth reading.

Dutch Liberation Day

But then there is a third celebration: the liberation of my home country, The Netherlands, from Nazi occupation in 1945 that we began celebrating on May 5.This event involved Canadians more than Americans and so it is more of a Canadian celebration than American, though they too were involved. The Dutch in Canada, among whom I am one, always organize events to mark this Vrijheids Dag—Freedom Day. We all continue to be exceedingly grateful to the role of Canada in that liberation. As a seven-year old at the time, I well remember the Canadian tanks rumbling through our village, throwing chocolate bars and other goodies to the public lined up along the road. As well I remember the 2-week celebration of evening dancing in the village. Two weeks is a long time in the life of a seven-year old. I had come to the conclusion that all of life is one grand party!  You will find that story in our memoirs, Every Square Inch, vol. 1, chapter 2 (www.SocialTheology.com/boeriana.htm).

Ascension Day

But the most important celebration is a universal one in contrast to the previous three. Christians especially should recognize this day as Ascension Day! See in the Bible—Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11.  Ascension refers to the ascension of the risen Christ to heaven in the presence of and, yes, in the very eyes of His disciples, soon to become apostles. I realize I’m always referring you to the books I have published, most of them both hard copy and online. This celebration is also captured by a book written by my main role model, Abraham Kuyper, that I translated under the title The Ascent of the Son—The Descent of the Spirit, the latter section referring to Pentecost. It is found on the Kuyperiana page of the above website SocialTheology.com.  

Let me treat you to my translation of Kuyper’s Introduction and then leave the rest for you to read on the website:

On Pentecost, the Church of God steps onto the world stage as the Catholic World Church. Originally, the Church was universal or catholic—the meaning is the same. It was so during early days of life in Eden and in the days of Noah , even during the time that Terah, the father of Father Abraham, wandered in the area Ur of the Chaldeans and Haran, that is the modern land of Iraq.

However, since the call of Abraham, the universal Church was narrowed down to one people and nation and, eventually, enclosed within the national borders of Israel. From this point on, the church was no longer universal or catholic but became a volkskerk, a national church in the strictest sense of the word. She retained that status until the day of Pentecost, when she laid down the trappings of a national church and once again morphed back into the original universal Church, catholic in its higher Scriptural import.

This development flowed out of Christ’s Ascension into Heaven. From the Ascension on, the Head of the Church no longer has His seat in the earthly Jerusalem on Mount Zion, but in the Jerusalem that is above, from where He rules His Church for all peoples and nations alike. The Apostle Paul especially has abundant praise over this mystery in his touching epistles to the Churches of Ephesus and Rome. Thus the Ascension and Pentecost belong together in one single unity. He ascended into Heaven in order to pour out the Holy Spirit. It is because of that unity that this bundle offers you meditations on both of these aspects of salvation history together. These meditations first take you into the heavenly Jerusalem, into the Tabernacle made by God without human participation. From that point, they descend with you back to the Church on earth, but now together with the Comforter, that is the Holy Spirit.

Abraham Kuyper May 1, 1888

Post 82—The “Christmas Spirit” at McDonald

Today we are going a bit lighter as well as a bit shorter to give you the time you otherwise may not have to do your final Christmas shopping.  If you wonder how come I have the time to write this post when I probably should be shopping feverishly, well, it’s simple: I don’t. Period. Now don’t jump to the conclusion that I—or, rather, my wife and I-- are cheapskates. Remember: before you judge, if at all, be sure you have all the facts at your command. That fact is that we have decided this year to spend our gift money on persecuted people, including refugees. We see little sense in spending fortunes on gifts no one among our family and friends needs. Writing a few cheques or sending monetary gifts online or by Paypal takes off a lot of pressure—and allows me the time to write this post.

The Denison Forum recently featured a story by one Nick Pitts under the heading “250 Mcdonald's Drive-Thru Customers 'Pay It Forward'.” Since it’s a Christmassy kind of story, it is a fitting  post in this Christmas week. In Pitts’ own words, it goes like this:

·          

Marisabel Figueroa probably started her shift at the Lakeland, Florida McDonalds where she works expecting that day to be like any other. However, one woman's generosity set off a chain reaction that, several hours later, would leave her saying that she'd "never experienced something like that before." It all started when Torie Keene decided to pay for the order of the car behind her and specifically asked Figueroa to tell the driver Merry Christmas, rather than Happy Holidays, when she delivered the news of the free meal. 

As the cashier described, when the other driver was told that her meal had been paid for, she was so grateful that she decided to do the same for the driver behind her. The pattern continued for almost the entirety of Figueroa's six-hour shift, as some 250 customers decided to "pay it forward." 

"I just kept giving everyone the same message, and they were all so stunned and so happy,” Figueroa explained. “One lady even paid for the meals of the next three cars behind her."

After a local news station picked up the story, Keene contacted Figueroa via Facebook to express her surprise, saying that she was "only trying to brighten someone's day." It seems clear that she did that and more as the story has now made national headlines. 

I don’t know just where Pitts’ story ends and where Denison of the Forum takes over. The next few paragraphs amount to a kind of Biblical application of this apparently true story.

The thing is, most of the people that experienced the gift of a free meal and decided to continue it paid roughly what they expected to pay when they arrived at the drive-thru window. The difference is that, because someone had already covered their debt, their actions from that point forward became voluntary rather than necessary. They were given the freedom not to pay but chose to use that freedom for the betterment of others rather than just themselves. 

It's a living example of the mentality Paul describes in his first letter to the Corinthians when he spends the majority of the Epistle writing on the need to think of others before yourself and to place their rights above your own (1 Corinthians 6-14). He is clear that we are not called to make that choice out of an obligation to them but in order to simply be better representatives of Christ in their lives. As he wrote to the Galatians, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1). 

Because of Christ's sacrifice, we have been set free from the burdens of the Law. Will we use that freedom to model the kind of life to which He has called us or will we view his grace as a license for disobedience? How we answer that question speaks volumes about the nature of our relationship with God, and an unbelieving world is watching closely for our response. 

So this Christmas season, let's be intentional about using the freedom that God has granted us for His purposes rather than our own. Our heavenly Father has given us the gift of unhindered access to Himself through Christ and asked us to "pay it forward" by helping others to understand that offer as well. Will you?

The only thing I question in the above few paragraphs is that italicized clause that there was/is no obligation at work here. Presenting ourselves as better representatives of Christ is our obligation. True, it’s also our privilege, but you cannot eliminate the obligation part. And what is the problem with that?  

Maybe this “little” is a reflection of a divide between Lutheran and Calvinist thinking with the former tending towards a negative attitude towards obligation and law while the latter emphasizes that law and grace always go together. 

Perhaps the non-obligatory part is also a reflection of the influence of the general Western antipathy to law that stems way back in our history to the so-called Enlightenment.  The roots of our thought patterns go so deep and long to the point that most of us are not even aware of them; we just act, speak or think along those patterns without any further second thought. 

One of the purposes of this blog is to lay bare for you readers the reasons and roots of our accepted thought patterns or worldview. This obligation thing may be one of those unexamined items in our Western culture. 

I guess I ended up not so short after all nor so light. Next time just read the story without the comments, enjoy it and ponder it for yourself. Maybe even go to Burger King and initiate the same story to see what happens, Christmas or not. Oh, sorry, it was McDonalds, not BK. No matter, for when it's spring, can summer be far way? When you see Big Mac, can BK be far away?