Dec. 19 2015
Today's Leader-Telegram newspaper has three Matters of Faith columns, a column that appears many Saturdays through the year, but rarely more than one on any Saturday. All three are about Christmas. Unfortunately, none of them appear to be in the online version of the newspaper, so I can't link to them.
One is written by a Catholic Priest (Rev. Tom Krieg from St. James), one by an ELCA Lutheran (Rev. Jim Page of Trinity Lutheran), and on by a Grace Communion International (one of those rapture-ready biblical literalist [a contradiction, I know] 'denominations') (Rev. Roger Galstad).
Galstad says "the lesson was made abundantly clear to Adam and Eve that our sins require the death penalty." He continues saying that God, "in his gracious love and kindness toward his personal creation" sacrificed an animal or two to clothe Adam and Eve, which "demonstrated to them and to us that sin must be dealt with through the vicarious shedding of blood of a perfect living creature." He goes on to show Jesus as the ultimate sacrificial animal for which we should say "thank you" to God for being so loving that He sent Jesus to be the final blood sacrifice, because, as Galstad says, "God is kind...merciful...gracious...and good." Crikey.*
Page's article was about giving thanks on Christmas for the families around us, whether biological or friends. He shared a story of three kids, all siblings, opening a present together on Christmas morning. It was their adoption papers, meaning they were out of foster care and now permanently a part of the family they'd been living with.
Krieg used the line "Christmas is the night that heaven bent down and kissed the earth." It was a meditation on love referencing the many parish bike trips this summer from the church to the Dairy Queen. He speaks of Christmas as a time that tells us we "are connected to heaven, to God. Further, it gives me the sense that I can love God in return by longing for the things of heaven - mercy, peace, inclusive community - and trying to make those things happen 'on earth as it is in heaven'."
Check the difference in their final lines, and consider how these ending words make you feel:
Galstad (Grace Communion): Let us therefore celebrate the coming of Jesus as our Savior since he and he alone is the perfect and willing sacrifice for our sins.
Page (Trinity Lutheran): Corbin [the eldest of the three siblings] gave a simple, yet memorable, hug to his family on Christmas Day. Let's do the same with our family. Merry Christmas!
Krieg (St. James Catholic): Do you know that when you wish peace and share your bread you shine like the Son? You shine like one kissed from above.
I wrote a Christmas-related article as well, but it did not make it in - perhaps next week. I'll post when it is printed; or if not I'll just post it here. I was going to include my final words here, but decided to just stay out of the way of these three and let them speak to each other.
What are you thoughts on these words, so close to Christmas?
Please post and share below, and have a happy holiday season, a blessed Christmas if you celebrate it, and may you find peace and comfort if you are stressed, mourning, or anxious.
David
* I had originally started that paragraph with the words "Galstad's column is a disturbing journey through blood, violence, sin, wrath, sacrifice, and death death death. Substitutionary atonement theology is a dangerous mindset." I took them out, though, so as not to influence the reader; his words should stand alone as they are.
Galstad is the guy who called me out in a column or a LTTE for accepting the science of evolution. I also did a panel with him on science and religion at the senior center in the spring of 2014. Very nice guy in person, but his theology is not just bad or ill-thought, it's oppressive and fearful. All his columns seem to be "be afraid of God; become a Christian, or you're a goner for eternity! Because God loves you." He also wrote a column against gay marriage earlier this year in which we referred many times to a local ordained minister who had recently married her partner, and though he referenced her four or five times, he never referred to her as "Rev." as is her due, but only as "Ms." even though he referred to other ministers by their correct titles.
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