Join Our Mailing List

Print this page

A BIRTH

December 14, 2008

    If any of our current Newscasters had been living in 1809, their news broadcasts would have concentrated on Austria, not America.  The attention of the entire world was on Napoleon, the powerful dictator of France, as he swept across Europe.

    But, at the time of invasions and battles, babies were being born.  But who was interested in babies and bottles, cradles and cribs while history was being made?  What could possibly be more important in 1809 than the fall of Austria?  Who cared about infants?

    Somebody should have.  A number of significant thinkers and statesmen drew their first breath in that year: Oliver Wendell Holmes cried out in Massachusetts; Edgar Alan Poe, started his brief life in Boston; A physician named Darwin and his wife called their infant son Charles; A rugged cabin in Kentucky, owned by an illiterate wandering laborer heard the cries of a newborn boy named Abraham Lincoln

    All that, and more, happened in 1809.  But who cared?  The destiny of the world was being shaped on the battlefields of Austria—or was it.

    Today, only a handful of history buffs could name even one Austrian campaign—but who can measure the impact of those other lives?  What appeared to be super-significant to the world then, has been forgotten.  What seemed to be totally insignificant then, was, in fact, the dawning of an era.

    Now, go back eighteen centuries before that.  Who could have cared about the birth of a baby while the world was watching Rome in all her splendor?  That empire was as vast as it was vicious.  Political intrigue, racial tension, immorality and military might occupied everyone’s attention.  In Palestine all eyes were on Augustus, the cynical Caesar who demanded a census so he could increase taxes. 

    At such a time, who was interested in a poor couple making the eighty-mile trip south from Nazareth?  Who cared that a Jewish baby was born in Bethlehem?

    Well, God did!  While Rome was busy making history, Jesus arrived on a bed of straw, in a stable, under a star.  The world didn’t even notice.
    Other things seemed more important.  One birth was overlooked.  Even those nearby failed to notice. 

    In 78 A.D. a very old man was sitting in his hut outside a town called Bethlehem.  A teenage boy came running to him and said, “Ismael, Ismael, I just heard that you were one of the shepherds on the hill many years ago when Jesus was born.  Tell me what did the baby look like? Did you see his parents?  The old man rubbed his brow, then he ran his fingers through his straggly, white beard.  His eyes misted, and a tear rolled down his cheek.  His lips trembled and he answered, “Yes, I was with those shepherds, but I was so tired that night that I didn’t bother to go and look.  I never saw him.”

    Yes, few noticed then, but, an unknown writer saw it differently.  His short essay is called:

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

He was born in an obscure village.
He worked in a carpenter shop
until he was thirty.  He then became
an itinerant preacher.

He never held an office.
He never had a family
or owned a house.
He didn’t go to college.
He had no credentials but himself.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone,
and today he is the central figure
of the human race.

All the armies that ever marched,
and all the navies that ever sailed,
all the parliaments that ever sat,
and all the kings that ever reigned
have not affected the life of man
on this earth as much as that
ONE SOLITARY LIFE.


THE GOOD OLD DAYS?

    “You know what I regret about the ‘Good Old Days?’ “ gramps remarked sadly.  “Modern kids are doing all the sinful things I wanted to do when I was young, and they’re gettin’ by with it!”

    Does this frank admission reveal a startling insight that has been carefully hidden away under layers of “propriety?”  Is the world getting worse?  Are morals decaying?  Is sin more prevalent?  Is the church dying? or, Is it merely that contemporary people’s outward actions are more in line with what their inward desires have always been?

    For example: Are we sure fewer divorces last century reflected greater love and fidelity, or just greater fear of criticism and isolation?  Was the language used on stage and television more desirable because hearts were purer, or simply because victorian prudery was popular?  Did young people avoid pre-marital sex because their morals were higher, or because they were afraid of the consequences?  Did politicians praise spiritual values from sincere “God fearing convictions,” or in order to sway the less sophisticated public?

    Christ stressed again and again that it’s the “want to” that matters, not the overt action:  “He who hates has murdered.  He who unclothes a woman in his mind has raped her.  He who covets his neighbor’s goods has stolen them!” (See Matt. 5:27-32).

    So, in the light of this criteria, were the people of the past generation really better?  Did the population as a whole, have a deeper religious commitment in the days gone by?

    Not necessarily!  Probably more rituals were performed, more rigid codes of conduct were followed, and more conservatively proper types of behavior were shown.  However, is it the basic human character that has changed, or only the mores of society?     Since Eve met the serpent, people have been people!  Sure our ancestors walked to church, sat on hard benches and heard long sermons; but what alternative did they have?  Their homes had hard benches too!  Individuals don’t deserve any special plaudits for carrying out the expected pattern of life style.  We are too prone to eulogize the righteousness of our grandparents and castigate the short-comings of our grandchildren!  We tend to magnify the purity of our forefathers and minimize the dedication of the future generation.

    Maybe the accepted forms of religion are harder to observe today and the general trend is away from Christianity as an “institution,” but have hearts degenerated?

    In every age, in every location, and in every situation only a few show real concern.  I doubt that this has changed!  Religious pessimists must realize that in the past the church filled many other needs in addition to the spiritual ones.  It was the social center of the community--the gathering place, the gossip corner, the communications outlet.  It had political status.  A candidate’s church affiliation was closely linked to his vote-getting ability.  It often served  cultural and educational purposes--teaching children their first reading and writing skills.  Sometimes the “preacher” was one of the few literate man in the area.

    The church also had psychological involvement, providing, in most cases the only aids to personal problems available. It also had a material contribution to make as the chief benevolent agency to feed the hungry and clothe the destitute.

    Paradoxically, the church was frequently an entertainment media.  Revivals were dramatic affairs ranking alongside vaudeville and medicine shows in audience attraction.  The baptisms and “singin’s” were well attended because they had no competition!  Such events highlighted an otherwise drab existence.

    Gradually, decade by decade, all these fringe benefits and extra-curricular activities have been stripped away.  Churches no longer meet vital social needs.  Urban living, drive-ins, transportation improvement and fast-paced living have altered the picture.

    Politicians, today, must influence a widely diversified populace with many sects, races and backgrounds to consider.  Fundamentalist doctrinal beliefs are no longer an asset at the ballot box.

    Public schools teach the masses of youth with advanced educational methods and instructional tools.  Family guidance centers, psychologists and counselors help solve many personal problems that once were considered to be religiously oriented.

    The material contribution of the church is almost negligible today since welfare, social clubs, fund drives, and youth organizations have taken over these responsibilities.

    Needless to say, in the entertainment field, the church ranks far behind TV, movies, sports, travel and other recreational facilities.  A veritable world of colorful diversions are at everyone’s fingertips.

    Funeral homes bury our dead in mausoleums.  Judges marry our betrothed couples in hotel ballrooms and radios pipe canned and condensed religious services into our cars and boats.

    In the face of these staggering facts, what does the church have left going for it?  The same thing it had on the day of Pentecost--the gospel of abundant life!

    The church doesn’t have to compete with a world of secular organizations.  It doesn’t have to apologize for its diminished role in a complex society; and it certainly doesn’t have to sigh and mourn for the “Good Old Days,” since the eternal purpose of the church has never changed.

    No amount of darkness can put out a candle.  It only makes it shine brighter.  Even so, little flames that seemed insignificant in the great glare of publicity and popularity will now glow triumphantly as a spiritually dynamic church permeates the world.   

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(WC609)
The only part of this issue of NEW PERSPECTIVES  which is copyrighted is the essay from, "Opening a Can Of Worms" © copyrighted 1989 by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK.  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE IT IN ANY WAY YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE.  The only thing we ask is that you give credit for original material in PUBLISHED works. 
Only part of our Christmas devotional is original with us and is therefore not copyrighted.

"OPENING A CAN OR WORMS IS AVAILABLE ONLY ON CD.  THIS CD CONTAINS ALL OF OUR BOOKS PUBLISHED SINCE I BEGAN TO COMPOSE ON A COMPUTER.  YOU MAY OBTAIN ONE OF THESE FOR A NOMINAL PRICE.  I THINK $1 WILL COVER MY COST AND  MAILING.

NEW PERSPECTIVES is a free service from Diversity Press. 

You may find other messages and a book list on our Webpage:
                                  www.ForMinistry.com/USOKSOBCOFBC5
or                              www.diversitypress.com

Email: wdiversitypress@aol.com
Phone: 1-580-286-3148