A Questionnaire

Dear Friends,
I was listening to the Dianne Rehm Show on NPR this morning, and they were playing a rebroadcast from the November 30, 2009 episode. In this episode, she was interviewing author, poet, and farmer Wendell Berry. Berry was discussing his latest collection of poetry entitled Leavings. Along with other excerpts from this collection, Berry read the following poem that I think is some good food for thought.

Questionnaire

1. How much poison are you willing to eat for the success of the free market and global trade? Please name your preferred poisons.

2. For the sake of goodness, how much evil are you willing to do? Fill in the following blanks with the names of your favorite evils and acts of hatred.

3. What sacrifices are you prepared to make for culture and civilization? Please list the monuments, shrines, and works of art you would most willingly destroy.

4. In the name of patriotism and the flag, how much of our beloved land are you willing to desecrate? List in the following spaces the mountains, rivers, towns, farms you could most readily do without.

5. State briefly the ideas, ideals, or hopes, the energy sources, the kinds of security, for which you would kill a child. Name, please, the children whom you would be willing to kill.

--Wendell Berry

December 2007: Worth Another Look

Dear Friends,
Below is the pastor's column I wrote for the December 2007 issue of the Monroe City / Mt. Vernon United Methodist Churches newsletter. Some of the details I list are out of date, of course. But as I reread the column, I realized that the message is still true for today. I hope you find this meaningful.
Blessings,
Clayton Peak

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From Your Pastor…

December can be a rather dreary and gloomy month. The days are short, and they keep getting shorter until after the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. According to the United States Naval Observatory, the amount of time from sunrise to sunset in the Monroe City area on December 22 this year will be only 9 hours and 21 minutes. Talk about a short, gloomy day!

The weather can also make December a dreary month. According to the “Heartland” edition of the 2007 Old Farmer’s Almanac, the average temperature in our region of the country for December 2007 will be 29º which is 1º below “normal”. We can also expect 1 inch of precipitation (slightly below normal), along with a few snow showers and some freezing rain.

Yes—with cold weather and short days, December in Missouri can be downright miserable, if not depressing. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why we make such a big celebration out of Christmas. We need something to keep the gloomy, cold, and dark days from getting us down. We need something to cheer us up and brighten our spirits.

We go to great lengths to find that “something” which will cure the December blues. We decorate our houses and places of business with trees, strings of lights, garlands, poinsettias, manger scenes, and all sorts of ornaments. We attend parades, concerts, school programs, church services, family gatherings, and parties. We may even find ourselves hosting one or more of these events. We send greeting cards, often writing a letter highlighting what we have done during the past year. We go shopping to find just the right presents for friends and relatives. We sing special songs that we don’t sing any other time of the year. We bake delightful treats like cookies, nut breads, and fruitcake. We may drink eggnog, wassail and other beverages that we only drink during the “Holiday Season.”

Now, don’t get me wrong here. I am not a Scrooge. Even though the season is often busy and hectic, I actually look forward to many of our Christmas traditions. I enjoy singing Christmas carols, receiving Christmas cards, eating cookies and pies, drinking eggnog, going shopping, getting presents, attending programs and concerts, and even putting up decorations (although I don’t really have an eye for decorating). Not only do such activities help brighten the otherwise dull and gloomy month of December, but they also spark many fond memories.

Furthermore, unlike some folks, I don’t really decry the commercialism of Christmas. I understand that for many people their very livelihood is dependent upon Christmas sales. For high school and college students, a temporary job over Winter break can be a great way to earn money for school and other expenses. Many charities and services agencies count on the year-end donations that people make in the “Spirit of the Season.”

Here is what I find most meaningful about this time of the year. Christmas typically falls 3 days after the Winter Solstice. Remember the 9 hours and 21 minutes I mentioned earlier? On Christmas Day it will be 9 hours and 23 minutes—2 minutes longer. And as December moves into January, the amount of daylight will continue to increase. The Gospel of John tells us that in Christ “was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). So doesn’t it seem fitting that as the days are starting to get longer, we celebrate the birth of the One who is the light of the world?

This year don’t let the short, cold days of December get you down. Instead, let’s have a big celebration and remember the true reason for the season—the birth of Jesus the Messiah who came to bring light and warmth to our lives. Merry Christmas!

SWS: Prayer for Peace with Others

Dear Friends,
I came across the following prayer in my devotional reading, and thought it was Something Worth Sharing (SWS). I'm sure we can all resonate with the sentiments expressed in this prayer. [Please note: the book in which I found this prayer was published in 1928. So some of the words and expressions in this prayer do not match up with current English usage.]
Blessings,
Clayton
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My God, I have again given way to temper, and said things I would fain have left unsaid. Just at a time when all seemed at peace around me, one little word of contradiction has thrown me back, and excited feelings which I thought were conquered forever. My Father, when shall I learn to give way to others, even though I may not agree entirely with them? Forsake me not, although I am self-confident. Teach me to yield more easily, to be more patient with those who argue with me. Fill me with grace to subdue all evil feelings; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord - Amen.

Source: Mary Wilder Tileston, ed., Prayers Ancient and Modern (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1928), p. 131.