Movies of 2012: The Good, the Bad & Ugly

As I sat on the couch with my daughters last night night we got onto the subject of movies of the past year.  So just what were the the best movies of the year? What were the ones we thought were ok? And which ones just plain stunk ... here is a list between two teenage girls and myself.

The Best Movies of the Year

10) Brave
9) Men in Black III
8) Cowboys & Aliens
7) Batman - The Dark Knight Rises
6) Hunger Games
5) Red Tails
4) The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey

The last three we all agreed a case can be made for being the best movie of the year

1) Avengers (for sheer entertainment this is my pick)
1) Lincoln (from a aesthetic view point this has a case as the best movie of the year)
1) The Vow (this is just a beautiful movie)

Movies that we enjoyed and may watch again one day

1) Amazing Spider-Man
2) Expendables 2
3) John Carter of Mars (all of us actually liked this movie though it seemingly panned in the box office)
4) Ghost Rider 2
5) Skyfall

The worst movies of the year are in our opinion

5) Dictator
4) Battleship
3) Breaking Dawn Part 2
2) Total Recall
1) Dredd

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Shepherds & Trough's: Looking at Christmas with Luke's Eyes

Coming to Luke

Sometimes at Christmas we never hear the stories of each of the Gospels. Our nativities never actually match any particular story witnessed to in either Matthew or Luke. But in fact there are many differences between Matthew's Christmas and Luke's Christmas. In Luke there is no mention of the Star, no wise men, no Torah scholars, and no mention of babies dying. These were not germane to his theological purpose.  

Shepherds

Luke and Matthew begin in different places for their respective stories of the birth of the Messiah. But perhaps we are so familiar with the composite story of the Matthew/Luke mix that we miss some things that are especially important to Luke. (See my earlier Dark Side of Christmas: Loneliest Time of the Year that focuses upon Matthew)

There is a surprise at the very beginning of the story: the shepherds.  Why was this a surprise?  One commentary sheds light on why,

Shepherding was a despised occupation at the time.  Although the reference to shepherds evokes a positive, pastoral image for the modern reader and underscores Jesus association with David . . . in the first century, shepherds were scorned as shiftless, dishonest people who grazed their flocks on others lands.  Against this background, it is possible that Luke gets double duty from the shepherds first, developing further Jesus’ connection to David and Bethlehem, and second, graphically picturing Jesus as the one sent to the lowly and outcast.  It is to some of their number, shepherds, that the birth is announced. (The Gospel of Luke, New Interpreter’s Bible, 9: 65).

Indeed these shepherds are the sole recipients to God's amazing news.  But the fact that the shepherds themselves are the ones who receive this angelic announcement is nothing short of astounding.  Their presence at the birth indicates that the Gospel was first told to people from the wrong side of the tracks.  They are a class that was not trusted but despised.  They become the symbol of the people Jesus would serve and love through out Luke’s Gospel.

Troughs 

There is, perhaps, an even greater surprise here at the birth of Jesus.  This one we may (because of our pious traditions regarding Christmas) overlook even though Luke emphasizes it.  In Lk. 2.7 the Evangelist Theologian tells us, “And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger . . .”  A few verses later in 2.12 we read, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’  A few more verses down in 2.16 we learn that the lowly shepherds ‘went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.”

When the Bible repeats something, as Luke has done so here 3x in just a few verses, it is wanting to underline and highlight what is being said.  Luke wants his readers to know, and not forget, that the manger is extremely important to the message of Christ’s birth.   

Why? What is so important about this rather mundane point?  Luke uses the word fatne 4x in his Gospel - and only he uses the term - . . . the other time is in 13.15.  The word means something like “feeding trough!”  It is the place the animals eat their food.  Luke wants to stress the manger because it makes the same point conveyed by the presence of the shepherds.  The feeding trough is Luke’s way of telling us that the Messiah, the Promised One of Israel, arrives not in glory and grandeur but in utter destitution.  The Messiah is poverty stricken!  The Shepherds are there because Jesus is in their class.  An older Jesus will say, “Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Lk 9.58).

Remember that Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb.  Laid in a feeding trough as a infant, nowhere to call his home as an adult and not even a place to be buried . . . the Promised Messiah teaches us that God works through the lowly, the powerless and the humble.  God works through those who willing sacrifice grandness for the sake of outcasts of our world.

Reflecting on Luke's Christmas Story

This forces the question upon me: do Christians regard the birth of the Messiah differently than the world does?  As I listen to the message coming from the world concerning his birth, it seems his impact is vague and missed.  Sometimes I suspect that some value Christmas more than the cross because the baby in the mangerdoes not threaten our value system as much . . . is not the church culpable in this?  But perhaps if they saw Jesus in the ANIMAL FEEDING TROUGH among the untouchable shepherds then the baby just may rock our world.

Luke comes along and asks the people of God - are we really paying attention? He says the birth of the Messiah is every bit as radical and life challenging as any other segment of his life.  Jesus’ birth says that when God sent the Messiah to fallen world he was not sent to those with clout, those with religious heritage, those who had it together, those with money.  But he came to the poor, the lowly, the prostitute, the outcast . . . he came for the shepherds of this world.  He came to serve . . . not to BE served!  The Feeding Trough defines Jesus' ministry on planet earth!

One of my favorite Christian thinkers is Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  A great man of faith and greater courage.  He died in a Nazi death camp because of his opposition to Hitler.  He had the foresight to ask this question:

“Who among us will celebrate Christmas right?

Those who finally  lay down all their power, honor and prestige,

all their vanity, pride and self will at the manger.

Those who stand by the lowly and let God alone be exalted, those

who see in the child in the manger the glory of God precisely in this

lowliness”

Luke is calling us as the Body of Christ to be molded by the feeding trough . . . just as Jesus’ own mission were defined by that moment.To be the people of God means we give up dreams of power, fame, fortune and take our place among the rejects of the world. The shepherds reappear throughout Luke's narrative they just have "labels" like Mary, Elizabeth, lepers, Levi, and "sinners."

So for Luke, the trough is near the heart of the Gospel story.  It is the reminder of Jesus’ identity, his poverty, his mission.  It shows us that God encased holiness in lowliness to give us a new life through the sacrificial life of the Messiah.  The trough is a call to us, to allow God to so indwell in us through his Holy Spirit that we are graced with the scent of the trough.  A humble fragrance that manifests itself in a life that looks strangely like the one lived out in the pages of the Gospel according to Luke.   One where there is an absence of pride and poverty of spirit but has the aroma of life, dignity and grace for the untouchables in our world.  May God lay our lives in that feeding trough  and cause us to be more like his Son. 

Wrapping Up

Jesus.  The Son of God was born from a virgin but he was also born in a manger – a Feeding Trough. Born to a life of service to shepherds.  He was crucified because of the life chosen in the trough.  That trough shaped his message, his message shaped his obedience to the will of the Father, his obedience led him to the Cross where he was offered as an atonement for the world's sin.  God raised him from the dead reversing the decision of Satan and the evil powers of this world . . . the one shaped by the feeding trough . . . yet serves at the right hand of the Most High on our behalf. Shalom flows from there ...

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Blessing God? Very Brief Thoughts on Ps 103

Christians, and Jews, often sing "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name" (Ps 103.1, NRSV).  This is in fact not an uncommon train of thought in Scripture.  The entirety of Psalm 134 revolves around blessing God.

"Come, bless the LORD all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night int he house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the LORD!

May the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion" 

These words are in our hymnals as well. But have you ever stopped to think, 'How can a human being bless God?"

We can imagine being blessed by God can't we.  But us blessing him - well, we sing it but perhaps we do not understand it. There are few concepts more important than "blessing" in the Hebrew Bible.  The concept is large and broad. When God bestows his blessing on a woman or a man it usually indicates they have have been "graced" in some way. That is they have experienced a special visitation of divine grace in their lives.

To bless also means to have one's name held in high regard.  God blessed the name of Abraham so he would be well regarded or spoken well of.  It is in this way that Jews and Christians can sing Psalm 103 and "bless" God.  No we do not "grace" the life of God but we most certainly can and do cause his Name to be highly regarded. We bless God by attributing good things to him. To bless Yahweh we acknowledge his goodness, his faithfulness, his power, and his grace.

To bless is is related to "praise."  Indeed the NIV translates baruk as "praise" when it is directed toward God.  I do not necessarily like this rendering but it does reveal that the concept of praise is related to the idea of blessing God.

As we gather together with all the saints in the gracious Presence of the Lord God, we do indeed bless him.  We will show that we regard his Name above all others.  Further, we speak well of him by proclaiming the mighty acts of God in creation and redemption.  We will bless God because he is worthy to be praised. Seven times in Psalm 103 we are called to "bless" the Lord God.  As I bring this short meditation to a close let me simply invite you to get out your Bible and read slowly and meditatively through this wonderful call to Bless the Lord.  The text is waiting to be an instrument through which you join the millions in the past who have used this vehicle to pour their being out in blessing before the Holy One.  Psalm 103 awaits.

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Christmas is Made for BOOKS!! A 2012 Reader's List

"Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed." - Anne Rice

"We read to know we are not alone" - C. S. Lewis

"Books are to be called for and supplied on the assumption that the process of reading is not a half-sleep; but in the highest sense an exercise, a gymnastic struggle; that the reader is to do something for himself." - Walt Whitman

 "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." - Frederick Douglass

I am frequently asked about books and reading material. This year's Christmas list of the top ten books to get and read consists of works I have read this past year and have recommended to various people. My list will be eclectic this year with a few old numbers and current hits.  Each, and all, of these books are worthy of your attention and will bless your walk with the Lord as we seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.

The book Christmas tree is in my office. It includes Homer, Taylor Branch, Martin Heidegger, Robert Burnham, Ernst Troeltsch,Walter Brueggemann, Dava Sobel, A. A. Milne, Alexander Campbell, Peter Gay, Gregory of Nyssa, W. F. Albright and a few others who would never be associated except in my book tree.  :-) 

1) Randolph Richards & Brandon O'Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible. This is probably the best work on biblical interpretation on a popular level of the year. Not just another book on theoretical foundations or why parables are not epistles.  This work introduces non-scholars to the "hidden" cultural assumptions in Scripture that shape its meaning is profound ways. The chapter on collectivism (communalism) vs "individualism" alone is worth the price of the book.  This emphasis in Scripture is completely missed by most American Evangelicals and radically distorts our vision the Christian faith.  While not a flawless work the authors have done a marvelous job of bringing Western, modern, post-Enlightenment believers to breath the air of the Eastern, ancient, pre-Scientific of the Bible. This work opens our eyes as Westerners to the world of biblical people and shows us how to "enter in." The prose are lively and the illustrations are clear and contemporary and make for a great read. Bible reading is at its most fundamental level a profoundly cross-cultural experience. We cannot but be more informed Bible readers by digesting this book.

2) Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin ed & annotated by Henry Louis Gates & Hollis Robbins. I first read Stowe in the late 1990s, revisited a couple years ago and have just finished it again as part of a larger project. In the last few years there has been some discussion whether it should be the quintessential American novel. If you have never actually read this classic (classics are "classic" but often not read) perhaps you should find out the reason why it was in fact the best selling book of the 19th century after the Bible and why - unlike the Da Vinci Code - it actually changed the world.You may be amazed that old Uncle Tom is nothing like the stereotyped "Uncle Tom" you have heard ... I will be posting a blog on Uncle Tom's Cabin and its use of Scripture in the next day or two.

3) Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God  Truly one of the great little books in the world. Small in size but St. Bernard is a feast for the mind and the heart. Each page, even paragraphs, have the potential of leading to hours of reflection. This is a book that must be eaten.

4) Mirsolav Volf, Allah: A Christian Response . Volf is one of the premier theological thinkers of the present age. He is Conservative and Evangelical and interested in taking the Christian faith into the public square. This is an incredibly important book which is surprisingly easy to read. Volf seeks a position that can foster the common good of peace in the world and yet honor the true differences between Islam and Christianity. He does argue, and I believe convincingly, that Christians and Muslims do in fact worship the same God - that is if monotheism is true.  This does not erase serious differences between the two in fact Volf does not mash us all together in one big happy family. However we can live peacefully ... from a Christian point of view ... in a pluralistic world. You will be challenged, you will think deeply, you will argue with Volf I promise you, but if you listen I believe you will be enriched and blessed for having read this stimulating book.

5) Sara Gaston Barton, A Woman Called: Piecing together the Ministry Puzzle Where do you come down on women preaching? It really does not matter to be blessed by this work.  Anyone who has, in their soul, felt that God has led them to a vocation in life will be enriched.  Barton takes us on a wonderful journey, though uniquely her own it is also one that I have shared as a minister of the word. This is one of the most recent books I've read and I confess I could not put it down. I had the whole book read in a single night. I, of course, made annotations to affirm my "amens," occasional "hmmmmmm" and even one or two "I'm not so sure."   The book sort of lures you into the narrative and takes the rarefied air of exegesis and theology and places it within the incarnation of a single woman wanting to serve God with all her heart ... and mind.  Suddenly we see that exegesis and theology actually have real life implications. It is a wonderful and even loving book. This is a book you should read though.

6) Edward J. Robinson, I Was Under a Heavy Burden: The Life of Annie C. Tuggle. My friend Edward Robinson continues to do a yeoman's task of resurrecting the history of African-American Churches of Christ.  This small biography, however, combines excavation in black history and women disciples of Christ. Here is the story of tragedy and triumph, of struggle against racism and sexism, of finding security in the Lord in the face of abusive marriage and divorce. While engaged in the struggle in her own life Tuggle sought to be a blessing to all around her.  She is one of the unsung heroes of the Churches of Christ.  If you want to be motivated by a cross-bearer then this is a book you should read.

7) Thomas Chatterton Williams, Losing My Cool: How a Father's Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture  Williams is a "young" secular writer engaging in a work of "cultural criticism" while at the same time bearing witness to the power of the influence of a father in the lives of sons or daughters. I have personally given out eight copies of this book to different people.  If only we could learn to engage in the kind of reflection Williams has done with the additional lens of the kingdom of God.  This is a wonderful book and I pray it bears much fruit.

8) N. T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God  Wright needs no introduction to most of the readers of this blog, he is (IMHO) simply the foremost NT theologian of the present era. But Wright has never been content to remain within the ivory towers of academia rather he believes scholarship must serve faith.  And we find that in this book.  A revision of his earlier work The Last Word this title includes two new chapters and applications. Outstanding work that holds much promise for our use of the Bible in our fellowship.

9) Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer that Changed My Life and Just Might Change the World. Richard Stearns is one of my heroes. He was successful by worldly standards (i.e. wealthy). Yet he found himself struggling with how his faith actually made any difference in the real world ... honestly it does not make any real world difference for some believers. Now the president of World Vision he challenges us to see the real "hole" in our gospel of comfort, gospel of success, gospel of "me," and embrace the massive amount of biblical teaching on changing the world and addressing poverty.  Easy to read but one of those books that will demand a response as you engage it. 

10) Alister McGrath, Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith. McGrath has been, over the last 10-15 years, one of my favorite authors. He is a man with not one but two PhDs.  One is in microbiology and the other in theology.  I had been reading McGrath for years and profiting from his historical and theological studies before I knew that he was actually a former atheist.  This work is now one of a number McGrath has authored on the subject of apologetics.  In this one he looks at our cultural situation and helps understand that apologetics and evangelism are not necessarily the same thing. One valuable aspect of Mere Apologetics is the recognition we live in a postmodern world. This work sees itself in line with C. S. Lewis' classic Mere Christianity and it is evident that McGrath has absorbed much of Lewis's legacy.  This is a good book and I believe you will be blessed through wrestling with it.

Bonus Books.  For me, one of the most fascinating books I read this year likely will never become a best seller.  That book is Larry Hurtado's The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Origins. This book is not simply about textual criticism though it clearly has relevance for that.  Rather Hurtado suggests that early Christian mss are witnesses to a Christian culture and that culture sheds light on the nature and history of early Christianity that is overlooked and even outright neglected by both NT scholars and church historians.  What do the texts themselves tell us about the people who made them and read them? Why did Christians adopt the codex so early and so universally? Do the texts testify that early Christianity was an integrated community ... that is one that was in contact with itself in various parts of the world.  The surprising answer to that is yes!  A wonderful chapter is on the phenomena of the nomina sacra in early Christian texts.  This book is a unique window into the world of Christianity in the second and third centuries and probably even the first.  I loved it.

Don't forget my own books if you are looking for a stocking stuffer :-).  Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James A. Harding and also A Gathered People: Revisioning the Assembly as Sacred Encounter.

Tolle Lege,
Bobby Valentine

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