Smoky Mountain Reflections #188
Sometimes
things line up in very unique ways, and you find yourself scratching your head,
saying, “Isn’t that interesting?”. We have such an occurrence this year, and it
will reveal where people’s priorities lay, when the differing calendars of the
world and the church clash.
It begins
this month on the day that we celebrate romantic love. February 14th
(which many know as Valentine’s day) is a day filled with heart-shaped with red
boxes full of fancy chocolate, not to mention the flowers, balloons, cupids,
and other pink and red reflections associated with romantic love. The
traditions now associated with Valentine's day were first written of in
Geoffrey Chaucer's “Parlement of Foules”
published in the late 1300s. They were set in the fictional context of an old
tradition, and did not really even exist before Chaucer! Prior to that, the
church simply celebrated him as a martyr for the faith. We as Lutherans (and
for that matter, most Christians) who celebrate saints do not even consider
this a feast day, but simply a day of commemoration in which we remember his
sacrifice for the gospel as a reminder for us to be strong witnesses for the
faith. That being said, Ash Wednesday is a much more important day in the
church’s calendar, and this year, it falls on February 14th! Ash Wednesday is
almost certainly one of the top five most important days in the year for most
Christians, even though many American Christians do not even know what it is. So
while most of our society will be swimming in pink hearts and chocolates, the
faithful will be attending church to have ashes applied to their foreheads and
being reminded that they are created from dust, and to dust they shall return.
I am not saying, however, that this is an “either/or” proposition; you can
celebrate both on February 14th this year, just not at the same time.
Next, the
very highest day on the church’s calendar, Easter, will fall on the day that
many Christians joke is the holiday for atheism, April 1st. That is right,
April Fool’s Day and Easter come together this year. But don’t worry, I do not
think atheists will stop hiding eggs or petting bunnies on Easter (which of
course we know is what Easter is all about…wink, wink, nod, nod). No! Easter is
about Jesus and his resurrection from the dead, in which he proved his victory
over sin, death and the devil, and there’s nothing foolish about that.
Finally, if
I told you that many protestant Christians would be canceling their worship services
on a Sunday this year you might accuse me of being ridiculous. However, it is
true; thousands of churches will close their doors this year on a Sunday in
December, canceling their services so their members can stay home and celebrate
our national day of materialism. You guessed it, Christmas day falls on a
Sunday. We here at Saint Paul will have our regular 8:30 & 11 AM services
on that day, but sadly, many churches will be closed entirely. In fact, many
churches do not have Christmas day services even in other years, because it is
regarded as “a day for family” (as if gathering to celebrate the holy family
and the birth of our savior precluded that).
Worry not,
however; 2018 will not be good or bad based on calendar conundrums. The Lord is
faithful; he will be with you always, and He will continue to care for and
nurture God’s people whenever they gather around His gifts of word and
sacrament. So have a worry-free, blessed 2018.
In Christ,
Pastor Portier
No comments:
Post a Comment