Reasons to be Thankful…

    In light of our conversation Sunday at Beggars Table, allow me to offer some reasons to be thankful this year:

• A posture of gratefulness can improve your cardiovascular system. (American Journal of Cardiology)
• A posture of thankfulness can increase your life. (Aging with Graceby Dr. David Snowdon)
• A posture of thankfulness can improve your immune system. (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
• A posture of gratefulness can save your face. (Abraham Lincoln – “By 40 we have the face we deserve.“)
• A posture of thankfulness can counter a posture of pride – which makes life ugly… (Proverbs)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I recently finished this popular novel by Cormac McCarthy.  Like everybody else, I found the most touching part of the story the relationship between the father and son.  It rang true throughout the novel, but resonated especially close with these words from my seven year old son two nights ago as I was tucking him in:

“I had a dream last night.  In the dream we were in a restaurant when these bad guys came in.  I asked them ‘are you the bad guys?’ and they said ‘Yes, we’re the bad guys.’  They took you outside to fight and I cried.  But then the dream was the next morning and you were smiling at me and said ‘everything is alright.’”

It sounds like I made that up – but I didn’t! 

By the way – The best thing about that story is my son thinks I can beat up bad guys.  I love this age…hope he doesn’t grow up too quick…

Tolkien and Lee Provide a Response…

On my October 31 post entitled, “The Lion, Lewis, and Battle”, I generated a discussion regarding Lewis’s portrait of Christ in his fantastic The Chronicles of Narnia children’s book series.  In response, my friend JP asked a great question, “what books (readable to children under the age of 16) effectively portray a model of the suffering servant Christ?”  The more I thought about it the more I realized that examples aren’t too hard to find if you allow yourself to think beyond books that are sold at Christian Book stores.  The “Christ figure” is prominent in much western literature.  Allow me to reflect upon two specific responses…one somewhat obvious and the other perhaps less so…

  It’s somewhat widely known that JRR Tolkien was a professed Christian and his Lord of the Rings trilogy was a powerful allegory for Christian virtue in the face of evil.  I think his narrative possibly has more potential in communicating the true nature of Christ than the Narnia series because the amazing virtue of suffering and serving in the face of great oppression from the dominant culture is vividly painted. 

Although his books contain battles, warfare, and the need to take up arms, Tolkien goes to great lengths in describing his main character – Frodo Baggins – as a peaceful, physically small, physically awkward being who doesn’t have a drop of warfare in his blood.  Yet it is exactly this character who literally carries the burden of evil into evil territory in order to destroy it.  He doesn’t destroy evil through fighting.  Rather, his victory comes through the virtues of courage, perseverance, faith, hope, and love. 

 I also want to suggest an even more unlikely place to look.  Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbirdprovides a wonderful metaphor to Christ and the suffering servant.  I won’t go into details of the plot, but if you know the story…think about it.

Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

                                                           -Book of Common Prayer