Category: Kim’s Blog

The Microsoft band will tell you your heart rate, the number of steps you’ve taken, calories burned, and sleep quality. It will keep a run summary and count your calories. It has a clock, a timer and an alarm. It has GPS mapping and a UV monitor. You can also see incoming calls to your phone, get notifications from Twitter and Facebook, see voicemails and texts. You can see your latest emails and calendar. All from a little band that goes around the wrist like a bracelet or a watch.

Our son-in-law works at a Microsoft Store and that’s how I even know that the band exists. What a cool gadget. It sounds amazing.

There is lots of wonderful technology in the world. And there are more incredible gadgets than I could ever have imagined even as a young person. And what computers can do is astounding. I can wear a small band on my wrist that gives me so much information. And on my phone I have access to the entire internet. So much information!

But what do we really know? What does all of this tell us? I want a gadget that takes in certain bits of information and then spits out a long term final plan for a stable, just peace in the Middle East, especially between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I want a gizmo that monitors everyone’s racism. I want a band that tracks everyone’s carbon footprint with a mapping program that shows everyone the progression of the melting glaciers and ice caps and the rising sea level. How about an alarm that rings every time a child in this country goes to bed hungry? Oh, the good we could do with such instantaneous monitoring and tracking! But I don’t think a device with these kinds of capabilities would make it to the Top Ten Most Wanted Christmas Gifts List.

We already have the information that we need to achieve permanent peace, to eliminate racism, to reverse global climate change, and to end hunger. We know all that we need to know to achieve these ends. We have all the facts and figures necessary. What we need is the will. And there is no band or gizmo that will give us the will for these things. For a change of heart, a committed spirit, an transformed will, we can look to Jesus. He changes lives. He works on you until you are softened and pliable and then he reshapes you. I suspect that one of the reasons people don’t take Jesus more seriously, or seriously distort his teachings, is because they don’t like the change of heart that he inspires. And yet, Christmas is the most celebrated holiday in the world. That fact, that gauge, that monitor may be grounds for hope.

For reflection: Think about how you have changed your outlook in some way. What led to that change? Was it information?

Prayer: We have so much information at our disposal. We know so much. We have access to so many ideas. What an incredible and amazing time to be alive! May we trust in Jesus to show us how to process this information and use it for the good of the world. Amen.

It’s that time of year – when people get discombobulated. They forget to go to scheduled meetings. They forget the weekly piano lesson. They forget it’s their day for the carpool. They forget the doctor’s appointment. Things are busy. There are lots of special events. We are distracted. It is easy to loose track of things and to get off kilter.

We think about Jesus as a manifestation of God breaking into human history in a new way. God is doing a new thing. There is before Jesus and after Jesus. That shows up in the calendar designations BCE (before the common era) and CE (common era) previously known as BC and AD.

This in-breaking, this bright light, this manifestation, creates a new reality. It sets a new course for human community. It is drastic and disruptive. It is the advent of a new reality very different from the way things were. It is the initiation of a new and surprising future.

The coming of Jesus should knock us off track, disrupt our routines, and throw a wrench in the works. That is indicative of the cataclysmic shift that Jesus brings into the world.

So, this holiday season, when you find you have missed an appointment, or forgotten to pay a bill, or dropped the ball on returning a phone call, let yourself be reminded that Jesus came to knock things out of whack and it’s no wonder you’re off this time of year!

For reflection: Are there ways that you have felt out of sync this season? How does following Jesus disrupt your world?

Prayer: We give thanks for this time of year with its additional activities and festivities. May they remind us of the good news of great joy to all people that comes into the world through Jesus. May we allow ourselves to be changed and transformed by this disruptive good news. Amen.

The last time I looked at a violent video game involving shooting, the images on the screen looked cartoonish. Yes, it was quite a few years ago. I recently saw a video game in which the players were going through the woods with a rifle leading the way. The graphics looked very realistic. Not like a cartoon at all. It was more like photography almost. That should be no surprise since there has been significant advancement in graphics technology. Things on screen look ever more real.

Though the violent games are a negative example, the technological improvement provides insight into the life of faith. We are born into this life. We make our way, learning, growing, forming new attitudes and opinions. We make choices. We face circumstances. When we choose to commit ourselves to following Jesus, we find our attitudes, behavior, and perspective changing in certain very specific ways. We find our world view, our perceptions, and our relationships morphing in ways that reflect compassion, justice, forgiveness, and self-giving.

With Jesus as our guide, we progress. We advance. We live more deeply. We see with more insight. Life becomes richer, fuller, and more meaningful. We feel closer to other people and to God. We find ourselves becoming more vibrant and clear and honest. In a way, it is like the advancing technology in computer graphics. Things become more real and compelling.

In this Christmas season, when we think about the birth of Jesus, we are reminded of how a baby completely changes the parents’ lives. There may be seismic shifts in the parents’ behavior and values. The birth of Jesus, the coming of Jesus into the world, the entry of Jesus into our lives, should re-orient our lives and lead us to life that is abundant, full, and real.

For reflection: Think about times that you have felt truly alive. Can you identify some of the ways that following Jesus has changed your life?

Prayer: We are grateful for the amazing abilities of the intellect and creativity of the human species. We pray to use these gifts for constructive, helpful purposes that lead to peace, not for violence, destruction, and war. May we have the courage to follow Jesus and to be changed by him. May we not be afraid to practice our faith more deeply and to advance toward abundant life. Amen.

Prince William and Kate have made their first official visit to the United States. They placed a wreath at the nation September 11 Memorial with a note that read “In sorrowful memory of those who died on 11th September and in admiration of the courage shown to rebuild.”

The courage to rebuild. That is what the US needs now.

The US Senate Intelligence Committee has released a report on the interrogation tactics used following the 9/11 attacks. The findings reveal evidence of torture and extreme inhumane treatment. While the US condemns other countries for human rights violations, we are busy perpetrating those same kinds of violations. We extol the rule of law and then break the law. The world sees our hypocrisy. This is cause for shame and humiliation.

What we need is the courage to rebuild. Rebuild integrity. Rebuild trust. Rebuild accountability. This kind of rebuilding is a long, slow, and laborious process. Yet it is necessary to regain respect. The US government not only needs the courage to rebuild in the eyes of the world, but to rebuild its image in the eyes of its own citizens.

Jesus came to teach us about rebuilding. He showed us that no sin, no error, no past mistakes, no tragedy, nothing is beyond the scope of forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration. Redemption, in some form, is always possible. That is another one of the gifts that Jesus gives us. A way back.

But it is up to us whether we have the courage to receive this gift.

For reflection: How do you feel about the US use of torture? How does it make you feel about your country? When have you felt that you have done something that can’t be repaired or restored or redeemed?

Prayer: We pray for courage. We pray for the courage to engage in the long, slow, difficult process of rebuilding. There is much in our lives that needs to be repaired. Our society is in need of restoration. May we not lose heart. May we cultivate courage. And rebuild. Amen.