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Errr, Pastor, God would like to have a Word with You

It is one thing for churches to support the rights of immigrants. It is also one thing for the church to show Christian love and charity to those people who have entered a country illegally. I have no problems with either of those. However, when it comes to pastors allowing their churches to become mosques, then we have a problem.
This is not one denomination allowing the fledgling congregation of another church to use their abandoned old sanctuary. This is allowing the desecration of a place consecrated for Christian worship. Moving altars, covering icons so the muslims can have their prayer services. They are desecrating the churches and doing so with the apparent blessing of the priests/pastors of the churches involved. These "defenders of the faith" must be removed from their positions and defrocked.
There are mosques in Belgium so there is no need for Christian churches to be handing themselves over for desecration to become more mosques.
HT:Michelle Malkin
cross posted at House of Opinions

Has it really been that Long?

Mid-December is a long time to go without a post. Unfortunately I have been wallowing in that mudhole of the mix of anger and self-pity. I didn't want to post something that sounded like I was mad at the world (well I was and still am to a degree). When I was preaching I couldn't use that as an excuse. When Sunday rolled around I had to be there. When the first Sunday of the month rolled around (when we celebrated the Eucharist)I had to exorcise whatever resentment and anger there was and seek forgiveness for it lest Inotonly receive but give the Sacrament unworthily.
I am going to be more faithful to posting here. Besides, I don't want to be dropped from Methodist Bloggers.
Pacem

The "War on Christmas": Why the Outrage Seems Empty Now

The whole "War on Christmas thing took an ugly turn, and not from the forces opposed to the church. If you are going to go so far as to call for boycotts on merchants who say, "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" the least you could do is attend worshuip on the day especially when it falls on Sunday! Back when I was pastoring I ran into this problem on a couple of occasions.
"It is a day for family", I was told.
And my personal favorite, "It will be inconvenient"
The day was adopted by the church for Christians to come together to celebrate the Eucharist in honor of Christ's birthday. You know the Eucharist, something that, for most non-Catholics, is little more than "juice and crackers at the altar". The exception being baptists for whom it is "juice and crackers in the auditorium". Most seem to forget that the Eucharist is a participation and rememberance in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The words of the Great Thanksgiving remind us that ir is "meet, right and our bounden duty that we should at all times and in all places give thanks." Yet, we can't seem to be bothered to show up at the Lord's Table on the day that we profess to celebrate his birth!
While I seem to be harsh with the laity here, I am reminded of Prof. Boyd's words in seminary, "The laity is very often a reflection of clergy who was there before you".
Which brings me to what provoked this tirade. The clergy that pastoring some of the largest churches are saying that they will not even have service that morning. My words to the clergy in question: So spare me your "outrage" at the so-called "War on Christmas" when you will not even lead or attend worship on the day. Yes, this at you pastors who are stirring the pot on this issue while not even bothering to lead worship. When I read that some of the largest churches in the country are not even having services I have to wonder why anybody is getting upset over a clerk saying "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas". Please, don't even try the bit about "Taking Christ out of Christmas". That boat sailed when you cancelled services for the day. If you can't even be bothered to worship, isn't a little silly to get upset over a commercial greeting.

Tis the Season

It is that time again where we bask in the glow of the red and green lights with Christmas music in the background. The crowded shopping venues. The smell of pine. There is one thing, however, about the season I dread because I see it repeated year after and it seems to be getting uglier and uglier. What I am referring to is the annual ritual of customers abusing the sales help.
I know that sales people can and frequently are rude. I have also witnessed some unnecessarily vitriolic displays by disgruntled customers. When a clerk/salesperson (there is a difference)tells you they are an item, there is absolutely no reason to challenge the validity of his/her parents' marriage at the time of the sales person's conception. Now, while this is bad, it is infinately worse when the culprit is sporting a "WWJD" ot "Jesus:The Reason for the Season" shirt. That is right, the people who I am talking about are the very ones to or about whom anything should need to be said. Imagine my shock at the nasty stare I got from one culprit when I gently reminded that person that Jesus most likely would not have angrily told the clerk that she had just ruined Christmas for the rest of her live because they were sold out of a mass-produced over-priced item that everybody and their cousin seems to own.
We as Christians should all know by now that Christmas is not about the accumulation of things. Certainly not to the point that you would allow such to ruin your Christmas while you proceed to ruin it for a person who really had nothing to do with your not being able to procure it. If, however, you insist upon being abusive to the help, do us all, and Jesus, a favor: leave that sweatshirt in the closet.

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