Nativity scene by potter, Gerard Mosser, at Soufflenheim, Alsace, Author Claude Truong-Ngoc (CC by SA 3.0 Unported)
“Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2: 4-7).
Every day 2715 children are born into poverty in America alone [1]. And every day 22,000 children across the globe die from poverty-related illnesses and deprivation [2].
We are surrounded by mangers. Surrounded, yet 2000 years after that first Christmas we still decline to see. Why spoil this festive season? Isn’t there another sale, another party somewhere? Pile those gifts high! We need no encouragement to put Saturn back in Saturnalia. We can manage that all on our own.
If pressed on the point, many of us would echo Scrooge’s sentiment: “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” Who brought all these children into the world anyhow? Why should we be saddled with their upkeep? Who gave them the right to impose on our comfortable lives?
“…[W]ho made lame beggars walk, and blind men see[?]” to use Tiny Tim’s words. As Christians we ought to know the answer to that. We ought to live the answer to that everyday. If we did, no billboards would be necessary urging that we put Christ back in Christmas. He would already be there.
___
[1] Children’s Defense Fund, Research Library, “Each Day in America,” http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/each-day-in-america.html.
[2] Global Issues, “Poverty Facts and Stats,” http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats.
Originally posted 12/22/13
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Scales of Justice with emblem of Holy See, Author Ktr101 (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
Just when the dust appeared to have settled, the Catholic Church sex scandal has expanded to a new venue. This time the setting is Australia. The proportions are massive.
A Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has uncovered the widespread abuse of children by religious schools and other institutions [1]. Most of those suspected are Catholic priests and religious brothers.
Tens of thousands of children were impacted. While the exact number of victims cannot be known, the abuse extended across generations.
The Commission’s official report reads, in part:
“It is not a case of a few rotten apples. Society’s major institutions have seriously failed. In many cases those failings have been exacerbated by a manifestly inadequate response to the abused person. The problems have been so widespread, and the nature of the abuse so heinous, that it is difficult to comprehend.”
More than 4400 victims have come forward and more than 4000 institutions been implicated. In numerous cases, the commission found those in leadership were aware of the abuse, but failed to take effective action. Read more…
“One Euro” Shop, Amsterdam, Holland, Author Bo Basil (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
The Five and Ten Cent Store on the Main Street of my childhood is long gone.
Offering for sale handheld fans, kitchen towels, pots and pans, packaged seeds, ironing boards, safety pins, and small gadgets of all kinds, the Five and Ten was a place to buy aprons, doilies, string, utility candles, decals, coloring books, school supplies, penny candy, and the buttons to match a favorite blouse.
Slinky’s and Yo-Yo’s
I remember the Five and Ten had a dry smell, the aroma of aged wood and spices shipped in tins from far off lands. It supplied the cotton dresses for summers without air conditioning, the rick rack for curtains in the extra bedroom, and the patterns for party frocks made lovingly by hand.
The Five and Ten in its heyday had all the household objects now difficult to find, plus a few low-tech delights for children. These included hula hoops, Spalding “high-bounce” balls, Slinky’s, yo-yo’s, roller skates, Mr. Potato Heads, Paddle-Balls, and many other toys I have forgotten.
A Lynchpin
More than a mere discount store, however, the Five and Ten was a lynchpin of the community.
A visit there was an adventure for those under the age of 10, an embarrassment for teens unwilling to discuss their personal lives with elderly staff, and a chance for adults to catch up on the latest neighborhood news. Read more…
A Desk in an Office (“Schreibtisch”), Photo by User:Mattes
Most of our days are ordinary ones. We go into the office, meet with clients, deal with vendors and personnel issues. We return phone calls; respond to faxes and emails.
We fight traffic and the never ending battle with paperwork; reply to motions; attempt to schedule depositions.
We become experts on obscure statutes; review police reports and medical records – some dry, some so horrific we could never have imagined ourselves dealing with them. All in the course of our ordinary days.
A few of us try cases, and have the scars to show for it. Rarely though can any of us know the full impact of our lives.
So, too, with Ruth. A pagan, Ruth chose to follow her widowed mother-in-law back to Judah. Once there, Ruth’s days were occupied working in the fields. No one could have predicted, when she married Boaz, that Ruth would become the great-grandmother of King David.
She had already entered the lineage of the Messiah.
“Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz… ” (Ruth 2:3).
Lord Jesus, we labor in Your fields, unaware of what fruit our efforts may yield. Pour your grace out on our ordinary days, that there may be a great harvest.
Amen
Originally posted 7/17/12
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://avoicereclaimed.com
Thanksgiving at US Army Combat Post in Afghanistan (2009), Source Flickr (PD – work product of US federal govt.)
A foundation stone for democracy on this continent, the Mayflower Compact was the first document under which the Plymouth Colony was governed. The agreement, which established an elected authority all would obey, was signed in 1620 as the Mayflower rode at anchor in Cape Cod Harbor.
For the Sake of Freedom and Equality
The Pilgrims were actually comprised of two groups: Separatists and non-Separatists.
The Separatists sought religious liberty, specifically the right to separate from the Church of England. They had initially emigrated to the tolerant Netherlands, but found the Dutch culture at odds with their own.
The non-Separatists — like many to follow them — sought economic and social opportunity, and the chance for a better life in America.
In the broadest terms, all risked their lives for the sake of freedom and equality. Read more…
18th National Congress of Chinese Communist Party, Author Dong Fang (PD as created by Voice of America)
A growing cult of personality is developing around China’s President Xi Jinping, so much so that Christians there are actively being urged by the Communist Party to place their trust in Xi, and replace any pictures of Christ with his [1A].
Party members engaged in addressing poverty issues make a specific point of taking credit for the relief their actions may provide “melting the hard ice in the hearts of religious believers” [1B].
False Gods
Xi is not the first leader lauded as a savior. Mass murderer, Mao Tse-tung, was, also, glorified in China. North Korea’s Kim Jung-un is similarly exalted today.
But history is littered with the graves of others like them, men enamored of power and self-deluded enough to presume themselves gods.
Christians are aware that this is a fallacy – that these men are merely false gods – which is why we are viewed by totalitarian governments as posing an existential risk. Truth is always at odds with lies.
“Jesus answered [Pilate], ‘My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world’ ” (John 18: 36 NLT).
Christ, of course, made clear that His kingdom is not of this world. But Christianity offers a competing world view to that of such governments – a world view in which each life matters, and material things are not the measure of a man’s existence. Read more…
Luxury shoes at Kurt Geiger Store, Canary Wharf, London, Author UggBoy heart UggGirl//PHOTO//WORLD//TRAVEL, Source Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)
We “love” a long list of things from Chinese food, the latest high tech devices, diamond studs, and chocolate cheesecake to classic rock, designer handbags, and soy latte.
There is nothing wrong with these things or our enjoyment of them. They are, however, things. Too often, we purchase them in the futile effort to fill an empty place inside – a place that has nothing to do with actual need.
Real Love
We “love” readily, yet have little concept of real love. Our portrayals of love are a clear indication.
The vast majority of images we see of love on film or in print are of attractive, upscale couples in their twenties or early thirties. Attractive and well-dressed children are added to the picture when we are being sold life insurance, family vacations, or disposable diapers.
With baby boomers retiring, a few older couples have lately appeared on the screen, to market dating services and erectile dysfunction cures to us.
Happily Ever After
We are experts at romance, but not at happily ever after. Happily ever after is the hard part, something for which the fairy tales do not prepare us.
Actually loving someone for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Through bankruptcy and bad decisions, beer gut and crow’s feet, mastectomy and stroke. Remaining true to a single individual, despite a barrage of messages to “trade up”.
The Care of Strangers
And what of those who have no husband or wife, no daughter or son? Who will love the homeless? The orphaned? Who will love the aged, relegated to the care of strangers? Who will love the victims of war or catastrophe? The veterans who have given their all to protect the rest of us?
We should be able to muster for them at least the degree of love we have for, say, latte or golf. In the process, we may find that empty place inside has been filled.
“ ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another’ ” (John 13: 34).
Originally posted 1/2/13
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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Two pan balance, Author Nikodem Nijaki (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
“And I heard a voice…saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine’ “ (Rev. 6: 6).
When the populace can no longer afford the goods being offered for sale or services required for daily life, there is hardship and unrest. Real people suffer. Governments have toppled under such circumstances, and totalitarian regimes come to power.
Emerging Economies
- Average annual wage in India $616 per capita, $3168 per household [1A]
- Average annual income in South Africa $1217 per capita, $5217 per household [1B]
- Average annual income in Romania $4495 [2]
- Average annual income in Thailand $4509 [3]
- Average annual income in China $4397 rural, $7947 urban [4]
- Average annual income in Mexico $6143 [5]
- Average annual income in Poland $8280 [6]
- Average annual income in Brazil $9801 [7]
- Average annual income in Russia $11,378 [8]
Many pre-industrialized nations have yet to regulate working hours or conditions to ensure employee or product safety.
These are costs built into the pay-scale of industrialized nations (as are the costs associated with an improved standard of living, e.g. a universally accessible electric grid and nationwide highway system).
In fact, outright slavery is not uncommon in the developing world [9]. India, China, and Qatar are among the nations known to utilize it. Underpaying workers encourages slavery. That American companies are benefiting from this is a travesty [10].
The cost of doing business in emerging countries will remain low until there are no longer people desperate enough to live in pitiable conditions and risk their lives to make a living [11].
If the Lord tarries, that is likely to be a very long time.
—
[1A and 1B] https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-413a0744b016486a022a54ddc3859b03-c.
[2] World Salaries, Romania, http://www.worldsalaries.org/romania.shtml.
[3] World Salaries, Thailand, http://www.worldsalaries.org/thailand.shtml.
[4] World Salaries, China, http://www.worldsalaries.org/china.shtml.
[5] World Salaries, Mexico, http://www.worldsalaries.org/mexico.shtml.
[6] World Salaries, Poland, http://www.worldsalaries.org/poland.shtml.
[7] World Salaries, Brazil, http://www.worldsalaries.org/brazil.shtml.
[8] World Salaries, Russia, http://www.worldsalaries.org/russia.shtml.
[9] Time, “The Developed World Is Missing the Point about Modern Slavery” by Chandrn Nair, 6/19/16, http://time.com/4374377/slavery-developed-developing-world-index-slave-labor/.
[10] The industries most heavily impacted by slavery include agriculture, automobiles and steel, technology, mining/minerals, and transportation. See, Ethical Corporation, “Modern slavery and the role of business” by Polly Foley, 10/8/14, http://www.ethicalcorp.com/supply-chains/modern-slavery-and-role-business.
[11] Scientific American, “Does Globalization Help or Hurt the Poor? Overview/Globalization and Poverty” by Pranab Bardhan, 3/26/06, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-globalization-help-o-2006-04/.
This series focused last week on industrialized nations.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
World map showing advanced (dark blue), transitioning (light blue), less (orange) and least (red) developed countries, Author Sbw01f, Source CIA World Factbook (CC Attribution 3.0 Unported)
“Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour” (1 John 2: 18).
There has never been globalization on today’s scale.
Many Christian eschatologists interpret Scripture as predicting a despotic New World Order under the authority of Satan, the Anti-Christ, and the False Prophet in the last days. Globalization for that reason takes on special dread for Christians.
Even setting aside end time prophecy, however, globalization has not delivered the rosy outcomes its proponents promised.
Military Empires
Military empires of the past came closest to this model, merging cultures and facilitating the movement of goods. The Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, and the more recent USSR are examples. Since these empires were by definition held together with force, the merging of cultures and movement of goods were never entirely “free” or painless.
Commercial Interests
The current globalization movement has not been prompted by a desire for peace or brotherhood either. It is commercially motivated – implemented by nation states, to profit their powerful corporate citizens.
Mutual commercial interests have been a reason for treaties since time immemorial. The brunt of modern globalization has, however, been borne by individual employees – the flesh and blood citizens of industrialized nations (now required to compete with those in pre-industrialized nations paid a great deal less). Read more…
“The Architect’s Dream” by Thomas Cole (1840), Toledo Museum of Art (Accession No. 1949.162), Source Web Gallery of Art (PD- Art l Old-100)
In the night hours, I search enormous empty law firms for case files I am unable to locate; scour the stacks frantically for legal precedents I am unable to discover. I return in dreams to settings that were once familiar, and wander the corridors unable to find the office I once occupied.
I grieve over the work I am no longer able to do, and wake with tears in my eyes. There is no glory. There is no longer even satisfaction in completing a necessary task. There is only a sense of failure.
I never thought I would become famous. I did, however, think I could be of service. That a variety of ailments have interfered with this torments me.
Pain, depression, anxiety, and PTSD constrain my actions; have set borders around my life. They, also, filter my reality. I throw myself against the bars of this prison uselessly.
Within these limits, I attempt to function.
That is not, however, the end of the story. The story is not, in fact, about me. It is about God. It is to Him the glory goes. Read more…
A Lawyer's Prayers 