Changing the world

Yesterday I picked up U2's album "October" from 1981. Sheesh...how 26 years old! What possessed me to buy this CD of early U2, I don't know; add it to my collection I guess. One song in particular caught my attention "Rejoice" (lyrics below), and especially one line in the song, "I can't change the world, but I can change the world in me." There is so much truth to that phrase...Changing the world starts from within our own lives. We experience the truth of this if we've grown up or live in a dysfunctional family. One person's dysfunction affects the rest of the family system. Conversely, one person's emotional, mental, and spiritual health will have a positive affect on a family.

The lyrics to the song also echo the ancient words from Paul to the Christians in Philippi, "Rejoice in the Lord always...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, thing about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:4, 8-9). In the face of difficulty around us, we dare to rejoice in God's goodness and grace.

It's falling it's falling
And outside the buildings
Are tumbling down
And inside a child on the ground
Says he'd do it again

And what am I to do
What in the world am I to say
There's nothing else to do
He says he'll change the world someday
I rejoice

He's building, I'll follow
In my bed when I woke up
To what he has said
Everything's crazy
But I'm too lazy to lie

And what am I to do
Just tell me what am I supposed to say
I can't change the world
But I can change the world in me
If I rejoice
Rejoice...

And what am I to do
Just tell me what am I supposed to say
I can't change the world
But I can change the world in me
If I rejoice

I don't know what to change
Rejoice...

Taste and smell history

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the Ohio Historical Society's preservation office and warehouse where historical artifacts not in the museum are stored. My purpose was to view some of the Civil War battle flags from Ohio regiments.

At one point in the tour, our guide opened a sealed case probably 10 feet wide and 8 feet tall that held 10-15 of the flags in a climate controlled chamber. When he opened the doors the smell of woods fires and the sulfur of gunpowder, still left in the fabric after nearly 145 years permeated the air. I was smelling history.

Every Sunday churches around the world have the opportunity to taste history. Each time we take the bread and wine, Christ's body and blood, we taste history...the history of God's rich mercy and love extended to people through every generation. We're reenacting a small, a very small, a miniscule portion of the Jewish Passover celebration which recalls God's amazing freedom fighting to get his people out of Egypt. Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, celebrated the Passover with his friends and took the middle of the three pieces of unleavened bread, breaking it as the head of the household does in the Passover seder, and distributed to his disciples saying, "Take and eat. This is my body broken for you." After supper, the gospels record, Jesus took the cup of wine, the cup of redemption, and after giving thanks (Blessed are you Lord God of the universe because you give us the fruit of the vine) gave it to his disciples saying, "Take and drink. This is my blood shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin." Redemption.

Every Sunday, we get to taste history as I got to smell American history. What an honor.