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Chapter-a-Day

Conjunction Junction

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“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…”
Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)

My generation grew up living for Saturday mornings. For most children, we had only three major broadcast channels on television. Saturday mornings were when all three networks packed in their children’s programming. Every Saturday morning found me in my bean bag chair, on the shag carpeting, ready to binge cartoons for four hours.

It was during those years that ABC had a series of legendary educational music videos generally known as Schoolhouse Rock. The music videos taught basics in math, grammar, history, and civics with catchy, ear-worm tunes. I can still sing many of them. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago during breakfast I annoyed Wendy with my rendition of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence a la Schoolhouse Rock.

The best Schoolhouse Rock song was, however, Conjunction Junction, in which a train conductor taught us the grammar of conjunctions which are always “hookin’ up words phrases and clauses.” The conductor taught me that “and,” “but,” and “or” will get you pretty far.

Conjunction Junction came to mind this morning as I read the chapter, especially in continuation of yesterday’s chapter. The Apostle Paul spends a lot of time at Conjunction Junction, not just in today’s chapter, but in all of his letters. If you pay attention, you discover that he loved to contrast the old with the new, the. light with the darkness, and a life lived in the Spirit, following Jesus into God’s eternal Kingdom, with a life lived in the flesh, following the world to nowhere but the end of the earthly line.

Here are examples from today’s chapter:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light…”
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
“Be careful how you live, not as unwise, but as wise.”
“Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
“Do not get drunk on wine…[but] be filled with the Spirit…“

The message from Paul’s perpetual crossing at Conjunction Junction is simple, yet profound. Being an obedient disciple of Jesus will increasingly create spiritual, mental, relational, and behavioral contrasts to those who simply and mindlessly follow fallen human nature and its worldly appetites. To say “I believe in Jesus” yet otherwise remain on the track to nowhere but the end of the earthly line means I missed the spiritual junction where life’s railroad track to Dark Valley switches to the line leading up to Sonrise Mountain.

So, in the quiet this morning, I find myself pondering the implied question Paul is asking from Conjunction Junction. As I look at the landscape of my own life, which line am I on, and where is it leading?

One of the things I love about Jesus’ Message is that it’s never too late to make the switch.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Simple Songs of a Child

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Simple Songs of a Child (CaD Ps 111) – Wayfarer

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
    To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 111:10 (NIV)

It was a fairly warm day in early December this past year when Wendy and I got to spend the day with our grandson Milo for the first time in almost a year. Wendy had some things she had to accomplish in town, so I took Milo to the park to keep him occupied. As we played on the swings, I made up a silly little song. It went like this:

Papa and Yaya love Milo.
Papa and Yaya love Milo.
Papa and Yaya love Milo.
Oh, yes we do.

After singing it a couple of times, I began again. This time I paused each time after the word love and Milo giggled and belted out his own name. Within a day, Milo himself sang it and he chose to alter the words:

Papa and Milo love Yaya.

then

Yaya and Milo love Papa.

The simple little ditty became a staple during their visit and it was so cute to hear him sing it. He always loved to sing all three verses to ensure the declaration of mutual love among the three of us was complete.

Instructional songs are as old as humanity itself. Music has always been a powerful way to learn and remember things. With a quick memory jog in the quiet this morning, I recalled a number of songs I still remember by heart from shows I watched when I was a child; Shows like Sesame Street, Electric Company, Mister Rogers, Zoom, and Schoolhouse Rock. In seventh grade Social Studies class we had to memorize the preamble of the Constitution and, when tested, we had to write it word-for-word from memory. I guarantee you every one of us was singing the Schoolhouse Rock version in our heads as we wrote.

Today’s chapter, Psalm 111, along with its twin, Psalm 112, is written much like an ancient Hebrew form of Schoolhouse Rock, though this fact is essentially lost in translation to English. They are acrostic songs, with each Hebrew half-line starting with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. When I read today’s psalm this morning it reminded me of some of the other wisdom texts in the Great Story like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The phrase “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” in verse 10 is used twice in Proverbs. And, the songwriter twice references God’s covenant being forever.

Short song.
Alphabet acrostic.
Simple instructional concepts.
Repeated phrasing.

It’s got all the marks of an instructional song intended for children (or adults) to quickly memorize and remember so as to learn simple spiritual truths.

In the quiet this morning as I ponder these things, it has me thinking about Jesus’ rather simple spiritual concept:

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.“

and

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”

When Yaya and I would tuck Milo into bed I sang the same song I sang to his mother when she was his age…

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others, and let others do for you,
May you build a ladder to the stars, and climb on every rung,
And may you stay forever young.

What could be more simple and essential than teaching a three-year-old like Milo that he and Papa and Yaya form a circle of love. And what could be more simple and essential for this adult to remember always?

Papa Tom & Milo. January 2021.
Chapter-a-Day

Idealism to Cynicism to Hope

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EyEujsvXIs

This land will be his possession in Israel. And my princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes.
Ezekiel 45:8 (NIV)

When I was young, one of my boyhood dreams was to go into politics. With idealistic notions and the strains of Schoolhouse Rock going through my head, I thought that it would be great to serve my country by running for office.

Then I grew up. And, my idealistic notions gave way a more sober understanding of what politics is really like in our day and age. You have to have money to run and pay for all those political advertisements, so your hand is always out and you’re likely going to be required to make deals with donors and special interests so your war chest is full. You can’t get anything done without political alliances with the inside power brokers who have been incumbents for decades and hold all the senior positions. So, you have to make back room deals and support bills you don’t agree with so that you can get your pet project through. Then there’s pork barrel spending, negative ads, and a number of other “realities” that make me happy to put away one particular boyhood dream.

The people of Israel went through a similar wake-up call in Ezekiel’s day. About 500 years before, the people of Israel with their idealistic notions wanted a change in government. They wanted a King to rule over them; A strong centralized monarchy like all of their neighbors had. God, through the prophet Samuel, warned them that they were being naive and said:

[This King you desire] will take the best of your fields and vineyardsand olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

But, they finally got their wish. Now, 500 years later, Ezekiel is giving a prophetic word of eschatological hope that someday the princes of the land will stop oppressing the people by continuing to do exactly what Samuel had predicted.

Today, I am reminded that on this side of eternity there is no perfect form of government, because there are no perfect human beings. Our fallen nature, despite the highest of ideals and best of intentions, is given to corruption, greed, and pride. Monarchy, Parliamentary, Democratic, and Socialist governments all suffer from the same human corruption. As it was in Ezekiel’s day, so it remains these 2600 years later.

A rather sobering and cynical thought to start the work week, but I am reminded that the underlying message Ezekiel is communicating is one of hope that someday things will be restored, reclaimed, and redeemed. And, this morning I take that to heart and join with all others who continue to hope for that Day.

Chapter-a-Day

Music that Educates

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Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All this happened so they would follow his decrees
    and obey his instructions.
Psalm 105:45 (NLT)

Those of younger generations reading this post will have to forgive my “old man” reminiscence this morning, but reading this morning’s psalm brought back some enjoyable memories of childhood.

When I was growing up, television had four channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS). Cartoons and children’s programming were reserved primarily for Saturday mornings between 7:00 a.m. and noon. My childhood ritual was to be in the basement in front of the television somewhere around 6:30. I would endure the final half-hour of U.S. Farm Report before my weekly cartoon binge would commence.

Even in those days parents complained that a five hour smorgasbord of television would rot our brains. So, one of the networks began airing a series of short cartoons called Schoolhouse Rock which taught lessons of history, math and grammar by packaging them into catchy songs with accompanying cartoons. I loved them, as did my entire generation. I’ll never forget my 8th grade Social Science class in which one particular test was to write out the preamble of the U.S. Constitution word for word. I can still remember an entire room full of kids muttering the Schoolhouse Rock song as they wrote out the words.

Using music as a mnemonic device to remember things has been used since ancient times. In fact, psalm 105 is a ancient version of Schoolhouse Rock. It was intended as a survey of Israel’s history in musical form which people could sing and remember. The song even ends with a nice little moral, calling people to obedience in light of all God had done.

Today, I’m thankful for my childhood, for Schoolhouse Rock, and the way that music can not only entertain but also educate.

 

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day 1 Thessalonians 5

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Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

There is something about things that come in threes. When something bad happens, you’ll often hear people say that “they come in threes.” If you notice, gags in movies and sitcoms will almost always happen three times. In writing it’s called the “Rule of Three” which states that things that come in three are funnier, more satisfying or more effective.

But it’s not just writing. The Rule of Three may refer to:

There is something about things that come in threes. Even Schoolhouse Rock recognized it as a “magic number.” I like to think that our triune God liked to express His triune nature in all that He created. Artists are like that.

And so, we come upon a simple rule of three in today’s chapter. A simple rule of three commands which encompass God’s will. I hear people constantly wondering about God’s will for them. I even find myself asking “God, what do you want from me?”

We should remember, whenever we catch that question rumbling in our soul or escaping from our lips that God gave us a rule of three in answer:

  • Always be joyful.
  • Never stop praying.
  • Be thankful in all circumstances…

 …for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.