Last Times; New Times
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
THE LONG TAKE: Last Times, New Times
New Year celebrations have often been anti-climatic for me. As pretty much all of my life has been in an educational setting, January 1st simply marks the halfway point of my (academic) year knowing that I'll have the same classes and same students waiting for me in a handful of days. Come August, that is when the real new year begins for me. But I digress...
Several years ago, the band Semisonic released their hit song Closing Time. At first, it seems to be a simple song about leaving a bar after a night of partying / drinking, but the song is actually an analogy of the life changes that happen with fatherhood. My favorite line in the song is "...every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." I was listening to that song around New Year's Day and I reflected on the concept of what it means to experience some other beginning's end. I've had a lot of beginnings in my life and I've encountered several of those beginnings' ends as well. The biggest takeaway from my reflection is that, often, we do not know when those ends, those "last times", will occur; they just do.
For example, I vividly remember my last interception in my last football game. I vividly remember my last conversation with a good friend who died of cancer. One of those is important; one of those is not. But in both situations, I knew that would be that -- I was not good enough to play football in college and my friend died soon after I left his house. But there are other last times I do not remember. I do not remember the last time I changed one of my children's diapers. I do not remember the last time I spoke with my mother-in-law before she passed away. Again, one of those is important, while the other is not, yet the truth remains I did not know when that last time, that beginning's end, would come; it just did. There was a time and moment in history that I did change my last diaper and there was a time and moment in history where I did have my last conversation with my mother-in-law. Yet, here I stand on the other side of a new beginning brought about by a life after diapers on one hand and a life coping with the loss of a loved one on the other. We often don't know when the end is coming to our beginnings, but we do know they will come.
Beyond the normal New Year's take to which this topic lends itself, I want to pursue another line of thought. Bear with me for a brief story. A long while back, I ran across an article from a Christian writer roughly titled, Why I Love The "F" Word (I don't even want to link to the article to provide the clicks it would bring). In summary, the writer believed that the true definition of being a Christian was the freedom to be the person you are without reservation or guilt, primarily because of the forgiveness offered by Christ. To be ashamed of one's actions diminished the love Christ has for you because if He loves you as you are, you should love you as you are. So, according to that logic, the author saw no problems with her use of vulgar language because that was the real her. Needless to say, the abuse (or ignoring) of Scripture on said topic was high. But it got me thinking about how that concept applies to every new beginning and some other beginning's end.
If I had the chance, I would ask the author about her views on sanctification, namely how it applies to the Christian life. While there are merited debates on the nature of sanctification (this book is one of the more helpful summaries I've found), most Christians would agree that the point of sanctification is to be more like Christ. Paul writes, in Romans 6, on this very concept, stating that since we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection, we can no longer be slaves to sin since Christ is also freed from sin. We now walk in the newness of life.
Regardless, we, as Christians, cannot ignore to call to be holy. This is where I believe the author misses the mark--Christ redeems us so we do not have to be who we are; we can now be like Him. Rev. Kevin D. Gardner, in a recently published article in Tabletalk writes:
Salvation...sparks a fundamental change in our lives. We receive, by God's mercy, a new heart. We are pronounced righteous by virtue of our faith in Christ.
Afterward, by God's grace, we strive, not always perfectly and not always consistently, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, to leave behind our former lives and to pursue holiness. This is part of what it means to be saved.
Here's the encouraging thing as we go through 2020: there will be a last time that we sin,whether that last time happens on this side of eternity or not. There will be a last time where I get impatient with my wife or upset with a driver or fail to love my neighbor as myself or fail to love the Lord with all of my being. And with every last time, with every other beginning's end, it will usher in a new beginning of a life that better reflects Christ. You may have experienced a last time when it comes to a particular sin; you may have not yet experienced a last time for a particular sin. This year, praise the Lord for the former and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to guide you to the latter. May we experience the constant new beginnings of pursuing holiness this year.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
I'm in the middle of reading Les Miserables. If you recall, I wrote about the theme of grace that runs through the narrative. I also promised that I would see the play and read the book one day. Back in October, I saw the play; now I'm making good on the promise of reading the novel. The novel puts both the play and the movie to shame and, as a bonus, I'm learning about the fascinating history of Revolutionary France.
THIS AND THAT
- Just heard the news today about the fallout from the cheating scandal with the Astros. As a baseball fan, I'm crushed by this because there has been a growing movement in bringing back the fun of the game with young stars who truly enjoyed to play the game. The Astros were one of the teams at the heart of that youth movement. But, alas...
- In related cheating news, apparently one of the former Bachelor type contestants is being investigated for collusion with her husband in bypassing team limits in a daily fantasy football contest. The saddest part of the article was that their jobs are listed as social media influencers. I cannot think of another job that so captures the milieu of this culture and its wonton rejection of anything related to true human flourishing.
- On a happier note, I cannot recommend the Wizarding World at Universal Studios Orlando enough. I completely nerded out on all things Harry Potter. If you love the books, book a trip sometime in the near future. You won't regret it.
MY CURRENT INTAKE
- What I'm Listening To: Going back and forth on a lot of different music lately but it all seems to revolve around ballads.
- What I'm Reading For Fun: Les Miserables (see above)- I've had some try to talk me out of it, but I'm pushing through the unabridged version. My though is, if you're going to go, go all out!
- What I'm Reading For Betterment: As part of the Colson Fellowship Program, I'm working through Glenn Sunshine's Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home. He does a great job of mixing in enough philosophy and history to keep it interesting but without overwhelming those of us who haven't been in a classroom in a day or two.
- Recommended Spotify Playlist: I'm trying to develop a praise and worship playlist that incorporates good music with proper theology. This is a constant work in progress. Dimmed lights with fog machines, repeated choruses, and worship leaders in skinny jeans not included...
Soli Deo Gloria,
Mitch Evans, Ed.D