"The problem with much Christian worship in the contemporary
world," Carl R. Trueman writes in the current issue of First Things, "is not that it is too entertaining
but that it is not entertaining enough."
Worship characterized by upbeat rock music, stand-up comedy, beautiful people taking center stage, and a certain amount of Hallmark Channel sentimentality neglects one classic form of entertainment, the one that tells us, to quote the Book of Common Prayer, that "in the midst of life we are in death."
It neglects tragedy. Tragedy as a form of art and of entertainment highlighted death, and death is central to true Christian worship. The most basic liturgical elements of the faith, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, speak of death, of burial, of a covenant made in blood, of a body broken.
Trueman, who will be speaking in Oklahoma City later this month, laments that much of modern worship amounts to "distraction and
diversion."
Praise bands and songs of triumph seem designed in form and
content to distract worshipers from life's more difficult realities. Even funerals, the one religious context where one might have assumed
the reality of death would be unavoidable, have become the context for
that most ghastly and incoherent of acts: the celebration of a life now
ended.
I do think the I-word is premature, but nevertheless this is a handy guide for those of us having a hard time keeping up. Click on the image to enlarge.
After church Oliver likes to go to the church playground with his brothers. He still likes to swing and do "underdog," but lately he has preferred the jungle gym. (Be sure to watch it in high-definition.)
[Below are Susie's remarks at Lillie's graduation ceremony yesterday.]
I stood in this same spot almost two years ago when we had Lincoln's graduation, and I can say that even though I've done this before, it doesn't get any easier. In fact in many ways it gets harder. It was a miracle I didn't cry during my first graduation speech; I’m not sure I can do it again.
I know I have many of the same feelings that I had two years ago: excitement, hope, sadness, relief, joy, and disbelief that it's over. I feel a little like I do when I watch a really good movie. A movie that has a little bit of everything: funny parts, sad parts, and maybe even parts that make me so nervous that I have to cover my eyes. But when the movie is over I think, "It's over already? It seemed so short. It feels like it just started." That's how I feel now. It's over already? There are times when I want to stop time and say, "Wait! I’m not done. There are so many things I don’t feel like I’ve finished." But I know that no matter how much time we have it will never seem like quite enough. Not that our parenting is over just because we have a high school graduate -- in fact, I have some people tell me this is when it gets really hard -- but we have come to the end of homeschooling. We have turned a page. We have finished a chapter.
So, today there are many things I'm feeling, but like I did two years ago the one feeling that stands out more than any other is gratitude. Complete gratitude for so many things. I'm grateful that in His good providence the Lord allowed us to homeschool. I'm grateful for our friends and family who have supported us and I'm grateful for this church. And today, I'm especially grateful for Lillie, our high-school graduate.
Most everyone here knows Lillie pretty well, but I imagine there might be a few things you don't know. Lillie is a glass-half-full kind of girl. She is a happy-go-lucky, cheerful, spontaneous extrovert. She likes to go places and do things. And she was born to two parents who are quiet, introverted, and glass-half-empty kind of people. Needless to say, Lillie brings joy and laughter and a little feistiness to our home. God knew exactly what we needed to loosen us up just a bit.
Lillie is also a loyal friend and sister, and she looks for the best in people. When Lillie was about three years old she asked me, "When is Be-guy-wuff [Goliath] going to get nice?" I wasn't sure what she was asking, but finally figured out that she wanted to know when Goliath was going to quit being mean and be on God's team. When I tried to explain to her that it wasn't ever going to happen, her little three-year old brain and heart wouldn't hear it. She picked up her pretend phone, babbled something into the receiver, then hung up and said, “That was Beguywuff. He said he would be nice." She is still just like that -- optimistic, hopeful, and looking for the best in people and situations.
Our feisty little girl has grown up into a beautiful, soft-hearted woman and we recognize that it’s only by God’s grace that we are here where we are today. I thank God that He has called Lillie to himself and for his protection over her mind and heart. I thank God for all the time we have had with her and the blessing she has been these many years. I thank Him that she knows that all things, both good and bad, come not by chance but by His fatherly hand. I thank Him that when hard things have come her way they haven't made her hard or bitter. And today I pray that the Lord would continue to draw her to Himself and continue to conform her to the image of Christ.
When Lillie was little Brandon used to play the Stevie Wonder song "Isn't She Lovely" while he held her and rocked her. The words to part of the song are: "I can’t believe what God has done; through us He’s given life to one." I echo those words today and marvel at God’s goodness to us. As the song says, "we have been heaven-blessed."
That wasn't the case in the previous two games. The Associated Press had correctly summed it up: "Thunder struggling to get Durant scoring help." I attended one of those losses with my uncle Bill. You'll note in the photo above that the ball appears to be attached to my forehead. At one point in the fourth quarter Francisco Garcia (pictured above guarding Durant) said to Durant's brother (wearing the green sweater): "He needs some help. He can't do it all by hisself."
That is true. Plus, the Rockets were hot that night. It got so bad that, as you'll note in the photo below, all I could do was pray that their shots wouldn't go in.
Saturday on News9, Patrick McGuigan expressed disappointment (not uncommon among conservatives I've spoken to) with the "anemic" tax cut passed this year by Oklahoma's policymakers. McGuigan, Billie Rodely, and Peter J. Rudy also discussed the matter on their weekly podcast. Let's just hope this tiny tax cut doesn't become no tax cut.
UPDATE: As my colleague Michael Carnuccio put it after the politicians gobbled up another quarter-billion dollars in growth revenue, "For the third budget cycle in a row, Republican control of state
government has produced increased government spending, no immediate tax
cuts for families, and continued earmarks for pet projects."
President Barack Obama did not attend the funeral of former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, but he is speaking to the nation's largest abortion provider this morning, the day after it had its annual fundraising gala.
Meanwhile, much of the nation's major media do not believe the mass murder of up to 100 newborn babies is newsworthy. Other stories take precedence:
Ollie and I often discuss who made things. "Who made you?" I ask. To which he replies: "God." And on it goes. Who made elephants? "God." Who made Jack Henry? "God." Who made the sky? "God." So he's pretty much got that down.
Tonight while taking his bath he was enjoying plunging his face into the water and blowing bubbles. He would blow bubbles, look up at me and laugh, then plunge his face back into the water and repeat the whole process. It was great fun all around. I smiled and said, "You made bubbles, didn't you?" With a big smile he said "yeah" and plunged his face into the water again. But no sooner did his face hit the water than he popped up suddenly and corrected himself, exclaiming: "God!"
I recently sat down with economist Ben Scafidi to discuss the startling growth in bureaucratic
overhead in Oklahoma’s public education system. In this brief video we
discuss the similarities between delivering mail and delivering
education, how Oklahoma could have been raising teacher salaries, and
how being in an intact married family is more closely linked to student
achievement than is per-pupil spending. Take a look:
