Christmas is in many ways “the most wonderful time of
the year.” It is a time for family, friends, parties, giving,
special services, great music (both religious and secular),
great food. It is also a time to allow the excitement and joy
of children to rub off on each of us. We remember the excitement
of Christmastime from when we were kids. We
didn’t know all the things we know today, and the whole
season seemed magical.
We can have the same sense of wonder and joy as adults
when we consider the wonderful gift we are about to receive.
In the gift of the Baby Jesus, everyone one of us
benefits from the coming of the very presence of God in our
midst. ‘God is with us’ is what Emmanuel actually means.
No matter how dark, no matter how cold, no matter how
alone we may feel, the whole message of the season, the
good news of Christmas is that God chose to come down to
earth and to be with us. In Jesus, God experienced life
through our eyes. Jesus is said in scripture to have experienced
everything in life that we experience. He knows
about temptation. He knows about frustration. He knows
about criticism. He knows about abandonment. He knows
about pain and ridicule. He knows about abuse, both physical
and emotional. Jesus lived his life, just as we live our
lives, only he did not sin.
The whole lesson of Christmas which is filled with joy
and hope is that Christ came in humility, born as a helpless
infant, growing up a boy in a small town, having his bar
mitzvah and working in his father’s carpentry shop until it
became his. Then he helped his mother raise his brothers
and sisters.
The details of the birth are miraculous and wonderful on
so many levels. He was not born under the most ideal circumstances.
Mary had to ride on a donkey about 85 miles
from Nazareth to Bethlehem while 9 months pregnant. She
ended up finding the only place to rest was in a stable, and
wouldn’t you know it, that’s when it was time for her to
deliver her baby. We certainly can’t get the idea that Jesus
had it made, or that he was born in privilege or even in
normal conditions. He was born in a stable: no birthing
room, no hospital bed, no sterile conditions, not even her
own bed. No boiling water, no mother to help her. Perhaps
there was a midwife, but we are never told of such.
No matter how bleak our circumstances, no matter how
rough or difficult our days, Jesus came and identified with
all who suffer rejection, loneliness, exile and inadequate
housing. Jesus, the King of the Universe, the Son of God,
came to earth and was born like a common peasant, a beggar,
born to a homeless family, which quickly became a
refugee family.
On the other hand, despite all these setbacks and deficits
for his beginning, the message of Christmas is extremely
joyful, hopeful and uplifting. God, the creator of
the universe and everything in it, the one who made each
of us perfectly, is also the one who loves us so much that he
came down to earth to be with us. To this day, God is with
us. We are never alone. Through the life, teachings, death
and resurrection of Jesus we were saved from ourselves,
and saved from the worst circumstances of life. We have
been given new life, healing and much hope. We realize
that God has a plan for us, just as he had a plan for Jesus.
God has goals for us to accomplish while we are here on
earth, just as God had goals for Jesus while he was here on
earth.
So as we sing the lovely Christmas carols, as we feast at
some wonderful meals, as we hear the Christmas story told
and retold, as we hold the light of Christ in our hands, let us
remember that Jesus came to give us light and life, joy and
hope, peace and love, redemption and companionship.
Jesus fills our every void and our every emptiness. Jesus is
love embodied. Jesus is the incarnation of the God whom
we love and trust. Jesus is the best news, ever. I hope you
have a very blessed Christmas!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
What Not to Wear
One of my favorite shows on cable is TLC's "What Not to Wear" with Stacey and Clinton. I've learned a lot about how to dress, and what goes together. You will have to judge if I've actually succeeded in dressing well.
I don't very often get peeved, nor do I very often rant, but this is one time I think I probably should, though I realize I am preaching to the choir.
Personally, I don't care what people wear to church. I think worship should be inviting and people should come in whatever clothing they wish to wear. God doesn't look at the clothes, God looks at our hearts.
But weddings and funerals are different! Over the past few weeks, I've had several funerals and a couple of weddings, so this is fresh in my mind. It just breaks my heart to see men walk into a wedding in jeans and an open shirt. This is someone's most important day of their life, and they are going diss them by showing up like a slob? Women aren't always a lot better, but for some reason most women care about how they look. There are a few exceptions. Sadly, some women dress as if they are hoping to pick up someone at the reception and take them home. A little modesty would go a long way.
I've seen every kind of attire, and it really irks me. Jesus once told a parable about a wedding feast and someone actually got thrown out of the wedding feast because they didn't have on the right clothing. I wish we did that sometimes.
And funerals ... it is almost worst there. Funerals are to honor the deceased. They are to be supportive of the families, and they are supposed to be signs of respect. Yet again, untrained, uneducated or oblivious people walk into funeral homes and churches dressed like they are going to the beach. Where's the respect in that? Where's the sense that this is a solemn moment? It used to be (and this was way before my time, so it's not just that I am getting old) that when a funeral procession went by, people would stop what they were doing, they stood still and took off their hats, while the hearse passed by. Now, people cut in and out through funeral processions like it's just so much traffic. I've seen cars put on their high beams and flashers to join a procession, just to ride through red lights, and then once clear of the intersection, they turn off their lights and speed by.
I don't know how we could share some instructive word with our "unchurched" and ill-trained friends, but for Pete's sake people. Dress up a little bit for the sake of others. Tell them, "It's not about YOU!" Weddings and funerals are about others. It's about those whom we say we care about!
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now, and go back to being Mr. Nice Guy.
I don't very often get peeved, nor do I very often rant, but this is one time I think I probably should, though I realize I am preaching to the choir.
Personally, I don't care what people wear to church. I think worship should be inviting and people should come in whatever clothing they wish to wear. God doesn't look at the clothes, God looks at our hearts.
But weddings and funerals are different! Over the past few weeks, I've had several funerals and a couple of weddings, so this is fresh in my mind. It just breaks my heart to see men walk into a wedding in jeans and an open shirt. This is someone's most important day of their life, and they are going diss them by showing up like a slob? Women aren't always a lot better, but for some reason most women care about how they look. There are a few exceptions. Sadly, some women dress as if they are hoping to pick up someone at the reception and take them home. A little modesty would go a long way.
I've seen every kind of attire, and it really irks me. Jesus once told a parable about a wedding feast and someone actually got thrown out of the wedding feast because they didn't have on the right clothing. I wish we did that sometimes.
And funerals ... it is almost worst there. Funerals are to honor the deceased. They are to be supportive of the families, and they are supposed to be signs of respect. Yet again, untrained, uneducated or oblivious people walk into funeral homes and churches dressed like they are going to the beach. Where's the respect in that? Where's the sense that this is a solemn moment? It used to be (and this was way before my time, so it's not just that I am getting old) that when a funeral procession went by, people would stop what they were doing, they stood still and took off their hats, while the hearse passed by. Now, people cut in and out through funeral processions like it's just so much traffic. I've seen cars put on their high beams and flashers to join a procession, just to ride through red lights, and then once clear of the intersection, they turn off their lights and speed by.
I don't know how we could share some instructive word with our "unchurched" and ill-trained friends, but for Pete's sake people. Dress up a little bit for the sake of others. Tell them, "It's not about YOU!" Weddings and funerals are about others. It's about those whom we say we care about!
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now, and go back to being Mr. Nice Guy.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Holy Spirit, Not Holy Ghost
Throughout my ministry I have been regularly confronted by a fearful response to any discussion of the Holy Spirit. Somehow, it seems, people are afraid that inviting the Holy Spirit into our hearts or into our worship, will mean that we are inviting weird behavior, extreme reactions, and embarrassing expressions of belief. These people seem to think that encouraging the Holy Spirit will lead to speaking in tongues in church or snake handling in the pews. Puh-lease!
The Holy Spirit is not something to be feared. That is one of the reasons why the church has moved away from such archaic language like “holy ghost”. The Spirit is not a ghost. It is not ghastly and it is not intended to frighten us. The Holy Spirit can never make someone do something that they are uncomfortable doing. We cannot get “possessed” by the Holy Spirit and ‘forced’ to do something weird or strange or awful.
The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in our lives. When we invite the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts we are energized both to love God even more, and energized to love our neighbors even more. With the Holy Spirit, we gain insight into the mind and heart of God. We gain uncanny wisdom, clear understanding of the ways of God, and courage to do the things we want to do, but have been afraid to do in the past.
The Holy Spirit is like the accelerator on your car. When we give our lives to Christ, and invite Christ to be our Lord and Savior, it is as if we started the car. We are still sitting in the driveway or parking lot, but we are not moving. We can play the radio, turn on the lights, and regulate the temperature. But we are not moving which is what cars were invented to do. Without the Holy Spirit we are only idling in our faith. But with the Holy Spirit, we are put into gear. The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more we can accelerate. When empowered by a deepening relationship with God, we are able to do more, go faster, and accomplish more for the sake of God’s kingdom.
Throughout the Bible, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples meant that their testimony and their ministry had more power and more impact upon the people to whom they were preaching. Healing is a good thing. That’s a result of the Holy Spirit’s power. Discernment is a good thing. Knowing with clarity the difference between right and wrong is critical to living lives that avoid the potholes of life, and whose witness demonstrates the things we can accomplish when God is present with us.
On the day of Pentecost, as we read the story in Acts 2, the fearful, hesitant, and dim-witted disciples become transformed into bold and courageous proclaimers of the gospel, willing to stand up in an open marketplace to declare that Jesus died on the cross for us, was raised from the dead on Easter, and his Spirit is distributed to those who believe. Throughout the rest of the Book of Acts we see demonstrations of wisdom, insight, power, healing, amazing preaching, and transformed lives. On Saturday, May 30, those in the Alpha Course will learn much more about the importance and value of the Holy Spirit. On Sunday, May 31 we will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit when we worship.
I pray for each of you that you will be open to what the Holy Spirit can do to bless and strengthen your life. Please do not be afraid, and do not resist. If God loves you completely, he would not give us a gift that would harm us.
The Holy Spirit is not something to be feared. That is one of the reasons why the church has moved away from such archaic language like “holy ghost”. The Spirit is not a ghost. It is not ghastly and it is not intended to frighten us. The Holy Spirit can never make someone do something that they are uncomfortable doing. We cannot get “possessed” by the Holy Spirit and ‘forced’ to do something weird or strange or awful.
The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in our lives. When we invite the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts we are energized both to love God even more, and energized to love our neighbors even more. With the Holy Spirit, we gain insight into the mind and heart of God. We gain uncanny wisdom, clear understanding of the ways of God, and courage to do the things we want to do, but have been afraid to do in the past.
The Holy Spirit is like the accelerator on your car. When we give our lives to Christ, and invite Christ to be our Lord and Savior, it is as if we started the car. We are still sitting in the driveway or parking lot, but we are not moving. We can play the radio, turn on the lights, and regulate the temperature. But we are not moving which is what cars were invented to do. Without the Holy Spirit we are only idling in our faith. But with the Holy Spirit, we are put into gear. The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more we can accelerate. When empowered by a deepening relationship with God, we are able to do more, go faster, and accomplish more for the sake of God’s kingdom.
Throughout the Bible, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples meant that their testimony and their ministry had more power and more impact upon the people to whom they were preaching. Healing is a good thing. That’s a result of the Holy Spirit’s power. Discernment is a good thing. Knowing with clarity the difference between right and wrong is critical to living lives that avoid the potholes of life, and whose witness demonstrates the things we can accomplish when God is present with us.
On the day of Pentecost, as we read the story in Acts 2, the fearful, hesitant, and dim-witted disciples become transformed into bold and courageous proclaimers of the gospel, willing to stand up in an open marketplace to declare that Jesus died on the cross for us, was raised from the dead on Easter, and his Spirit is distributed to those who believe. Throughout the rest of the Book of Acts we see demonstrations of wisdom, insight, power, healing, amazing preaching, and transformed lives. On Saturday, May 30, those in the Alpha Course will learn much more about the importance and value of the Holy Spirit. On Sunday, May 31 we will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit when we worship.
I pray for each of you that you will be open to what the Holy Spirit can do to bless and strengthen your life. Please do not be afraid, and do not resist. If God loves you completely, he would not give us a gift that would harm us.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Easter Brings Hope
The most profound thing about our Christian faith which is best expressed as an Easter faith, is that we all can have hope for whatever may be dead in our lives because of the resurrection of Jesus.
Imagine the disciples thinking that the mission of sharing and expanding the kingdom of heaven was done, ruined, over. They were sad and depressed, like a bunch of out of work fishermen.
Then all of a sudden, on Easter morning, the joy of victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. Jesus was raised. Wow! If a guy who was beaten to within an inch of his life, and then was crucified can now be alive again, then any tragedy, any dilemma and any disappointment can be overcome. After all, if God can raise Jesus from the dead, then resurrecting our problem back to hope is a piece of cake.
It doesn't matter if you've lost a job, lost your marriage, or feel that anything else in your life is dead, God can transform it into something new and hopeful. It may not look like what you expected, but once you realize what God is trying to give you, you are overwhelmed with joy and happiness.
What is broken in your life? What seems dead and impossible in your life? Tell me about it. I can assure you that God is with you in the midst of the dark days and troubled times, and that if you give your life to Christ, God will find a way to resurrect your life to new heights of splendor, happiness and fulfillment.
Blog back, let me know what's going on in your life. Thanks.
Imagine the disciples thinking that the mission of sharing and expanding the kingdom of heaven was done, ruined, over. They were sad and depressed, like a bunch of out of work fishermen.
Then all of a sudden, on Easter morning, the joy of victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. Jesus was raised. Wow! If a guy who was beaten to within an inch of his life, and then was crucified can now be alive again, then any tragedy, any dilemma and any disappointment can be overcome. After all, if God can raise Jesus from the dead, then resurrecting our problem back to hope is a piece of cake.
It doesn't matter if you've lost a job, lost your marriage, or feel that anything else in your life is dead, God can transform it into something new and hopeful. It may not look like what you expected, but once you realize what God is trying to give you, you are overwhelmed with joy and happiness.
What is broken in your life? What seems dead and impossible in your life? Tell me about it. I can assure you that God is with you in the midst of the dark days and troubled times, and that if you give your life to Christ, God will find a way to resurrect your life to new heights of splendor, happiness and fulfillment.
Blog back, let me know what's going on in your life. Thanks.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Giving Up or Taking On - The Discipline is the Same
For most of my ministry, in fact since I was a kid, my family members and I have had the practice of “giving something up for Lent.” My choices of things to give up have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, from incidental practices to giving up addictions.
One year I gave up drinking Cokes. That was a tough year. One year I gave up chocolate - yeah, cold turkey! One year Dawn and I both gave up pizza. Can you imaging going 40 days without your regular Friday night dinner? One year I gave up coffee, and that was hard. And once, in a stroke of true bravery, I gave up all caffeine. The most difficult 40 days of my life.
One year, I gave up 10 pounds! That was intentional, a planned effort to eat less and work out — some.
But there have also been a few years when I added something instead — and it wasn’t food! I added the spiritual discipline of praying on my knees in the sanctuary every single day of Lent.
Whether you have the habit of giving something up for Lent, or taking on some additional spiritual discipline, the purpose and the practice is the same. It is to give us the opportunity to work on, to practice and to show to ourselves that we are capable of becoming more spiritual, more self-disciplined than we thought we actually could be.
Lent traditionally has been a season of fasting. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism. Fasts, in the strictest sense, are periods of not eating regular food. You maintain taking in water and juices and other liquids to keep yourself hydrated, like Gatorade, but you refrain from eating solid food. On some fasts, you can have only natural foods such as fruits and nuts, things you could pick and eat, but no prepared, cooked or processed foods.
The monks of the Middle Ages really took fasting to a whole new level. That is when fasting during Lent became a widely practiced discipline. And as a tidbit of trivia, you typically end a fast in the morning after the last day of your fast. So the first meal after the fast, the meal that would “break” the fast became known to this day as breakfast.
Some people think fasting, or giving things up for Lent sounds too “Catholic”. Some have never heard of giving things up for Lent. Some have no idea what Lent is.
I was talking to Michael Raymond, the owner of Raymond Funeral Services on Ash Wednesday, and he had a big black smudge on his forehead. He had gone to 8 o’clock mass and had the ashes placed on his forehead. He remarked how sad it is “how few people have any sense that this day is Ash Wednesday or why we do this.”
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and runs for six and a half weeks to Holy Saturday. Lent and our fasts are broken on Easter, when the tomb is broken open and Jesus is raised.
Lent is a time to consider the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, how he suffered and how much he loves us, that he would willingly die in our place. We give things up, or “sacrifice” things we like during Lent, to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.
I want to encourage you to make Lent special in some particular way. Whether you give up certain foods, like meat on Fridays, or ice cream, or whether you give up activities like television or Wii;, or whether you take on a new prayer or Bible reading practice during these 40 days, I hope you will take seriously the need to reflect upon all that Jesus has done for you personally. Be grateful for his sacrifice, and then see what you might do during Lent to help you remember the importance of this season, spiritually. I pray you will grow in your faith, and grow in your appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus made for you, during this Lenten season. +
One year I gave up drinking Cokes. That was a tough year. One year I gave up chocolate - yeah, cold turkey! One year Dawn and I both gave up pizza. Can you imaging going 40 days without your regular Friday night dinner? One year I gave up coffee, and that was hard. And once, in a stroke of true bravery, I gave up all caffeine. The most difficult 40 days of my life.
One year, I gave up 10 pounds! That was intentional, a planned effort to eat less and work out — some.
But there have also been a few years when I added something instead — and it wasn’t food! I added the spiritual discipline of praying on my knees in the sanctuary every single day of Lent.
Whether you have the habit of giving something up for Lent, or taking on some additional spiritual discipline, the purpose and the practice is the same. It is to give us the opportunity to work on, to practice and to show to ourselves that we are capable of becoming more spiritual, more self-disciplined than we thought we actually could be.
Lent traditionally has been a season of fasting. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism. Fasts, in the strictest sense, are periods of not eating regular food. You maintain taking in water and juices and other liquids to keep yourself hydrated, like Gatorade, but you refrain from eating solid food. On some fasts, you can have only natural foods such as fruits and nuts, things you could pick and eat, but no prepared, cooked or processed foods.
The monks of the Middle Ages really took fasting to a whole new level. That is when fasting during Lent became a widely practiced discipline. And as a tidbit of trivia, you typically end a fast in the morning after the last day of your fast. So the first meal after the fast, the meal that would “break” the fast became known to this day as breakfast.
Some people think fasting, or giving things up for Lent sounds too “Catholic”. Some have never heard of giving things up for Lent. Some have no idea what Lent is.
I was talking to Michael Raymond, the owner of Raymond Funeral Services on Ash Wednesday, and he had a big black smudge on his forehead. He had gone to 8 o’clock mass and had the ashes placed on his forehead. He remarked how sad it is “how few people have any sense that this day is Ash Wednesday or why we do this.”
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and runs for six and a half weeks to Holy Saturday. Lent and our fasts are broken on Easter, when the tomb is broken open and Jesus is raised.
Lent is a time to consider the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, how he suffered and how much he loves us, that he would willingly die in our place. We give things up, or “sacrifice” things we like during Lent, to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.
I want to encourage you to make Lent special in some particular way. Whether you give up certain foods, like meat on Fridays, or ice cream, or whether you give up activities like television or Wii;, or whether you take on a new prayer or Bible reading practice during these 40 days, I hope you will take seriously the need to reflect upon all that Jesus has done for you personally. Be grateful for his sacrifice, and then see what you might do during Lent to help you remember the importance of this season, spiritually. I pray you will grow in your faith, and grow in your appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus made for you, during this Lenten season. +
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A New Day
Dear Friends,
This is a new day. You woke up this morning, and this day possesses such a great deal of potential for you, for your life, and for your future. Each day should be greeted with joy and thanksgiving. Each day should be viewed as a day to explore and see all the wonderful things God has done and is doing in your life. This is a day to renew your relationship with God by talking to him. Prayer doesn't have to be formal and stiff, regimented or formulaic. Prayer, in my view, has its best form as conversation. You may feel like God doesn't "talk back", but I know that he does, just not audibly in your ears. Sometimes God talks back in the words of others, in the random thoughts that jump into your head, or in the pages of scripture that you read following your prayers. But I find that I am talking to God, mostly casually, throughout the day. We have a friendly and comfortable relationship, in which God reminds me of his presence with me frequently throughout the day, and I respond by giving thanks, or lifting up someone who needs prayer, or asking God for guidance in the decsions I have to make.
This is a new year. Forget New Years resolutions. Well, in fact, most of us already have. But it is a new year, a chance to do some things differently, and it doesn't have to start right on the first of January. Any time this year, we can begin new patterns, start new habits, break old "bad" habits, or just decide to do more good things than we have in the past. Volunteer more. Read more. Worship more. Give more. A new year is a gift from God. It is a cycle of fresh starts that is at the core of Holy Communion. We get a chance to start over, to do better, to realize our potential, to deepen our faith.
This is a new day in politics as well. Though I love rhetoric, I am old enough to be skeptical enough that I will take a watch and see attitude. BUT, if our new President can be true to his ideals and to his word, then we hopefully will be witnesses to a sea-change in politics as usual. I pray for bi-partisanship. I pray for the end of bickering across the aisle. I pray that congress and the Senate will work as one to help the President solve the problems we face in our nation. I do know this: I will be praying for our new President. I will pray for him everyday. And just as many in my congregation pray for me and for my leadership everyday, I will pray for him and for his leadership. I will pray, because I see it at work in my life, and in the blessings God is showering upon our church. So keep praying for me and pray for President Obama as well. Pray because it works. Pray because it brings hope. And pray because it is one the best things we can do to help our country, and ultimately to help ourselves. I pray that God will bless President Obama with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the courage of Elijah, the compassion of Jesus and the tenacity and conviction of Paul.
This is a new day. You woke up this morning, and this day possesses such a great deal of potential for you, for your life, and for your future. Each day should be greeted with joy and thanksgiving. Each day should be viewed as a day to explore and see all the wonderful things God has done and is doing in your life. This is a day to renew your relationship with God by talking to him. Prayer doesn't have to be formal and stiff, regimented or formulaic. Prayer, in my view, has its best form as conversation. You may feel like God doesn't "talk back", but I know that he does, just not audibly in your ears. Sometimes God talks back in the words of others, in the random thoughts that jump into your head, or in the pages of scripture that you read following your prayers. But I find that I am talking to God, mostly casually, throughout the day. We have a friendly and comfortable relationship, in which God reminds me of his presence with me frequently throughout the day, and I respond by giving thanks, or lifting up someone who needs prayer, or asking God for guidance in the decsions I have to make.
This is a new year. Forget New Years resolutions. Well, in fact, most of us already have. But it is a new year, a chance to do some things differently, and it doesn't have to start right on the first of January. Any time this year, we can begin new patterns, start new habits, break old "bad" habits, or just decide to do more good things than we have in the past. Volunteer more. Read more. Worship more. Give more. A new year is a gift from God. It is a cycle of fresh starts that is at the core of Holy Communion. We get a chance to start over, to do better, to realize our potential, to deepen our faith.
This is a new day in politics as well. Though I love rhetoric, I am old enough to be skeptical enough that I will take a watch and see attitude. BUT, if our new President can be true to his ideals and to his word, then we hopefully will be witnesses to a sea-change in politics as usual. I pray for bi-partisanship. I pray for the end of bickering across the aisle. I pray that congress and the Senate will work as one to help the President solve the problems we face in our nation. I do know this: I will be praying for our new President. I will pray for him everyday. And just as many in my congregation pray for me and for my leadership everyday, I will pray for him and for his leadership. I will pray, because I see it at work in my life, and in the blessings God is showering upon our church. So keep praying for me and pray for President Obama as well. Pray because it works. Pray because it brings hope. And pray because it is one the best things we can do to help our country, and ultimately to help ourselves. I pray that God will bless President Obama with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the courage of Elijah, the compassion of Jesus and the tenacity and conviction of Paul.
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