Christmas-ish in USA

Almost three years ago the gathering darkness near the winter solstice caught my eye when passing the inflatable lawn figures that have become so popular in the rotation of seasonal themes since 2005 as the prices from China dropped, the moving pieces grew more sophisticated, and the internal lighting became a standard feature. Seeing a similar display elsewhere this week triggered the observation that the spectacle nicely symbolizes the present moment of tension between the Jesus Story on the one hand and on the other hand, the consumers giving themselves permission to spend for themselves, others, and even for strangers sometimes.

First there is the relative size difference in secular and sacred figures in this 2015 photo; the 2018 display in a different city lacked the Mary/Joseph element altogether. Next there is the electrically powered, inflated hollowness of the brightly colored, computer-designed and trans-Pacific sourced factory products here.

Finally, there is "cheap and cheerful" philosophy of brightening up the neighborhood at little financial cost, and with nearly no social consideration or relationship involved. In other words, there is a "me, too" aspect of joining the consumers who seize the secular imagery, as if to say, "see everybody, I am a normal person, doing what Everybody does."

It is not too big a stretch to apply these observations to the social expressions now in transition in USA: secular take-over of formerly modest or subdued Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Christmas is electrically powers and inflated. Once unplugged the light goes out and the thing (both its physical space and its meaning) collapses. The bar for participation in popular (commerce-based) culture is low indeed, and it is relatively conducive to a nation of immigrants where possibly 10% of the census respondents speak a language at home other than English. When all you need is a few colorful tokens of an event like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter/springtime, then anybody with money and a bigbox importing store nearby can play along. By comparison, commitment to a religious community or faith tradition ancient or modern takes months and years to cultivate.

So the next time you see an inflatable, consider the symbolism; not of the figures depicted, but of their construction, distribution, and display. They are hollow, dependent on electricity, and have little mass or persisting meaning. And yet, even so, year by year there seem to be as many or more than the previous year. Perhaps the post-season deeply discounted sell-off of inventory is just too hard to ignore in the minds of cost-conscious consumers.

Daniel translates as "God is my Judge" (standard for measuring matters)

The book of Daniel (beyond the part in the Lions' den) has so many parallels to the present day. But then, so too, the rest of the Bible's 1st and 2nd testaments are also part of the Living Word; open to each generation's meanings and musings. 

(1) He is a stranger in a strange land, a foreigner living with others of Judea now among the Babylonians. He probably fits into the customs of clothing, common language of the city, and other routines and rules, but all the while he holds fast to the covenant with the LORD. The same could be said for God seekers today who are living among the consumer society's siren call and the currents that dominate the airwaves and many interpersonal conversations. 

(2) The experience of living away from one's original land and society magnifies certain things, making them stand out when before perhaps such realities were invisible or taken for granted. So, too, the love of God the Creator was perhaps taken for granted, but while in Babylon this love become ever more cherished than before. Likewise for people living in 2018, the predominance of God-free habits and way of seeing perhaps helps to heighten the value of seeking after God for those who listen for the Maker's voice and for the Creator's presence. 

(3) In times of difficulty and seemingly impossible conditions Daniel continued to  pray and ask for God's help. This, too, offers instruction for people today. 

(4) The powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar, and later his successor, Belshazzar, were quick to praise the might of YHWH but slow to embrace the complete and exclusive meaning. Instead they bowed to the superficial parts, not the full reality. Today there are many who cling to the outward elements of organized Abrahamic religion (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) without digging deeper to touch the roots.

Probably there are many other lessons from this book for readers and the "hands and feet of God" out in the world today. but these are a few that come out of the weekly Bible study of these pages today.

in and out of focus - Crucifex? Loving-kindness? Churchianity?

This image from flickr puts the celtic crosses of an Irish westcoast churchyard in focus against the distant Atlantic sky. So sharply are the facsimile Roman death machines in focus that the true meaning and aspirational quality of being a Christ follower and God seeker becomes blurry by comparison. They say the funeral and burial customs are for the living, rather than the dead. So then does this display primarily refer to a moment in time when the bereaved show their belonging and conformity and consent of the organized religion of the place? Or it is all relatively unimportant to those who dwell on the heart of Christ's example; that is, to engage in loving-kindness with strangers as with friends and enter into mutual aid and fellowship? If the living see that message as primary, then the formal elements of grave stones, Order of Worship (liturgy), and "Sunday Best" clothes when attending the events at the church building all become comparatively unimportant. But if one's relationship to God the Creator and all-knowing, loving parent is built of material, tactile things like expressing one's high respect for the sacred memory of the crucified Son of Man, Son of God then this scene of well-crafted stones and carefully expressed rituals and status will be uppermost in waking consciousness of the bereaved at the time of death and in the years that follow.

In summary, it is arrangement of bodies, memories, and markers mostly for the bodies of the deceased, the hearts of the bereaved, the eyes of one's peers, the consideration of the Almighty, or the tacit acknowledgement of the Organized Religious Structures? All these things may be true at the same time, but perhaps only one of those meanings is uppermost for people at the time, and perhaps the same also for people now many generations since the time of separation and burial.