Celebrate Christmas

There's nothing like music to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Here's a gift from the gifted Canadian singer-songwriter, Bruce Cockburn. A blessed Christmas to one and all! :-)

Prayer remembering Kristallnacht

In remembrance of Kristallnacht-the night(s) of broken glass-on November 9-10, 1938, when the Nazis attacked Jewish citizens and their property, marking the escalation of their antisemitic and anti-Judaic persecution, culminating in "the final solution," it is, I think in order to offer a prayer for the Jewish people-especially in light of the growing antisemitism around the world today. 

   LORD God, out of your super-abundant grace, you chose and elected the Jewish people to be a light to all nations. We give you thanks for the legacy of faithfulness of the ancient patriarchs and matriarchs, such as Moses and Miriam, and Abraham and Sarah. Down through the centuries the nations of the world have been jealous of your everlasting covenant with and blessing of your Chosen People, and therefore instigated countless pogroms, persecutions, and expulsions against them. Tonight we remember November 9-10, 1938-Kristallnacht, and the Jewish victims of the Nazi's hate-filled acts of violence, escalating into the Holocaust and the loss of six million Jewish souls. 

   In a world of growing hostility against Israel, and antisemitic and anti-Judaic acts, protect the Jewish people from evil and harm. Help the Gentile world and we who call ourselves Christians to defend Israel's right to exist as a nation and speak out and actively work against all forms of antisemitism and anti-Judaism. Unite Jews and Christians everywhere to serve your greater purposes, that through their unity all the nations of the world would be blessed and peace with justice would flourish as the prophet once proclaimed: "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 any more." Amen.  

Leonard Cohen's "Almost Like The Blues"

Leonard Cohen has, over the years written some profound lyrics. I like this new song, and think it's a bit of an insightful commentary on what's going on in the world today.

Thought-provoking Quotes

Thought-provoking Quotes

"The justice of God is not that we are allowed to complete what we have begun, but the grace of God is that we are allowed to participate in what God has begun." -Peter J. Gomes

"For all that has been THANKS! For all that will be YES!" -Dag Hammarskjold

Book Review: At Day's Close

At Day’s Close: Night In Times Past

A. Roger Ekirch

New York & London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005 & 2006

447 pages, including: Illustrations, Acknowledgements, Preface, Notes and Index

Paperback

Reviewed by Rev. Eclecticity 

This volume is a rather unique contribution to the study of night—an eclectic potpourri of history, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and more, dating from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution. An engaging and entertaining read, yet at times tedious, having to contend with around seventy pages of endnotes.

The structure of this work is divided up into four parts and twelve chapters. Part One, “In the Shadow of Death,” describes the negative, evil, threatening nature of night. Part Two, “Laws of Nature,” portrays how religious and civil authorities attempted to employ suppressive measures like curfews and watchmen to control nocturnal human activities. Part Three, “Benighted Realms,” examines men and women at work and at play; and how night transformed the traditional, class-oriented daytime roles. Part Four, “Private Worlds,” addresses the world of sleep and dreams, as well as evening rituals.

Each of the four parts and chapters begins with a thought-provoking quotation, such as: “Never greet a stranger in the night, for he may be a demon.” THE TALMUD “The law is not the same at morning and at night.” GEORGE HERBERT “Many things even go best in the raw night-hours.” VIRGIL, 1^ST CENTURY B.C. “Happy are those who can get rid of their problems when sleeping.” GUILLAUME BOUCHET

In addition to the familiar beliefs associated with night, the author points out other factors that torment human beings after dark, such as: strange sounds, distorted sights, the fear of robbers, rapists, murderers, and other malevolent beings. The nocturnal habits of royalty, clergy, the rich and the poor, prostitutes and outcasts of all kinds. Even a husband or wife would kill their spouse while they were asleep. Many a fire started from burning candles and melting wax when folks fell asleep—claiming lives and homes. Sometimes fires were deliberately started and could destroy entire streets because the buildings were so close together and people had little or no equipment to put them out. Accidents occurred on city streets at night when horses and carriages ran over pedestrians who were unable to find safety on narrow streets. People were injured or killed from falls into cisterns, holes, and cellars at night. Many were afraid to travel at night for fear of being robbed, mistakenly killed or beaten, or getting lost due to darkness.

On the upside of night, in both Jewish and Christian traditions, clergy encouraged reading, study, prayers and devotions. Religious minorities often met secretly at night and held their worship services, including weddings and burials.

Ekirch also ponders such traditions as: the origin of bedtime clothing for the middle and upper classes in the sixteenth century, while the poor slept in their day clothing and without blankets, sleep as terror for those who fear their enemies or have nightmares, sleep as a blessing for those who have visions and ecstatic dreams, the recommended hours of sleep for a healthy life, and the influence of gas lighting in cities during the nineteenth century, among various and sundry other subjects.

   

After 30 days

I've completed the Tutu 30 Days of Forgiveness Challenge. It surprised me in some respects. There was a person from the past with whom I had a falling out. Many years have past since then and I thought all had been forgiven. Yet, with this challenge I realized that I still need to release the relationship to complete the forgiveness process, which, by the grace of God, I was able to do. Check out this video if you are interested in pursuing forgiveness further.

Tutu Global Forgiveness Challenge Day 2

Here is what the Tutus wrote for today's challenge. Hope you enjoy it and consider signing up, if you haven't already.

Day 2: The Science of Forgiveness

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the second day of our journey to understand and practice forgiveness. Did you know that forgiveness is now gaining attention as an academic discipline studied not only by philosophers and theologians, but also by psychologists and physicians?

There are dozens of research projects taking place at universities around the world. Even neuroscientists are studying the biology of forgiveness and exploring the parts of the brain that light up when we forgive. There are even some who are looking to see if there might be a forgiveness gene somewhere in our DNA. Isn’t that amazing? Here is a quick summary of what they are finding.

The Findings

As modern forgiveness research evolves, the findings clearly show that forgiving transforms people mentally, emotionally, spiritually and even physically. There are psychological benefits to forgiving (reduced depression, decreased anger, increased self-confidence) but there are also very real and concrete physical benefits.

People who are more forgiving report fewer health problems and fewer physical symptoms of stress. When you hang on to anger and resentment and live in a constant state of stress, you increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, and so many other chronic stress-related illnesses.

So what do we want you to know today? We want you to know that forgiving is good for your health! It’s good for your body. It’s good for your heart. It’s good for your health. It’s good for your soul.

With Love,

Desmond & Mpho