December 29, 2024 — 4 Days After My Head Exploded – Where’s the Tylenol?
“O Lord, you are a great and awesome G-d! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.” Daniel 9:4-6
Cranky Reverend can only guess Santa went to the dentist and had some grill work completed on his teeth. Nothing like deciding to put your “Merry” where your mouth is. Not the kind of action someone of humble origins and a humble spirit might consider doing – but this is Santa after all. He is the one who tells us that he “knows if you’ve been bad or good….”. That alone is creepy, and arrogant, don’t you think? Don’t get Cranky Reverend wrong, Santa is ok in CR’s books, just so Santa knows when he is welcome – after all, too much of a good thing is not always a good thing – and this Santa looks like he has had too much of a good thing.
Elections are a funny thing. I have never liked elections, whether it was for high school class officers, or Seminary class representatives, elections are nothing more than a popularity contest. (Does CR sound bitter? Don’t judge CR) Rarely is the most qualified person elected to serve to the best of his or her ability. The Presidential election is a good example. This year we had two deeply flawed candidates. The reason we ended up with such poor options from which to choose is because few people want to endure the vetting process – which includes dragging the candidate and their family through such scrutiny by the media that every poor speech, every bad decision, every failed marriage, every bad hair day, bad suit, bad pant suit, unfortunate utterance, every failed business deal, and every questionable relationship is related, debated, rated and conflated. Maybe this is why the candidates participate in so much “mud-slinging” in the months leading up to the election. The media hands them so much mud, they feel compelled to hurl it at someone else.
Of course, negative campaigning is not new. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who were close friends until they ran for president against each other, hurled so many insults at each other it almost ruined their relationship.
Ultimately, the only one CR can trust to fulfill their promises is Jesus. Even Santa is off CR’s list since he got that grill work done. So why not live as the prophet Micah said: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with G-d.
Pastor Dave
The "Frowning Glory" 