Worth Repeating

Silent Night is an iconic Christmas carol sung the world over for 200 years. It transcends time and place. The simple, beautiful lines and the truths they relay are moving and abiding. The lyrics were written two years before they were set to music. And while the tune is memorable and befits the text and advent season, the words hold their own. It is not surprising to see that references to the singing of this hymn have peppered the historical and fictional accounts of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when German and British troops set down their weapons and celebrated in peace together the birth of the Savior. It is a picture of the power of the gospel of peace and joy which penetrates the circumstances of this broken world and brings salvation.

Too often we take holidays for granted, They become such a part of our annual routines that we simply loose sight of their significance. Thanksgiving is no exception. We are inundated with new recipes, hints for hosting, parade coverage and Christmas shopping. The solemn and celebratory idea of setting aside a day for simply being thankful is smothered. But President Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War was moved by a letter from a woman who had been campaigning for such a day for more than a decade. And with this proclamation from 1863, he set down for us the practice and tradition of giving thanks, as a nation. Not a bad idea.

The absence of civic courage is a dangerous thing in free society. We cannot give way to the temptation to see our freedom as permission for the individual to pursue their own whims apart from higher purpose. We must want the best we can muster for ourselves, our children, our country, and. the human race. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn gave the commencement address at Harvard in 1978. It was entitled A World Split Apart. And although it is over 40 years old, it is timeless in its potency. We would do well to reacquaint ourselves with him and his works. It can be found in its entirety at www.solzhenitsyncenter.org

The Wright Brothers, Lindbergh, Earhart, Tuskegee Airmen, Yeager, Glenn, Armstrong and the rest. Americans have a rich aviation heritage. In 1941, nineteen year-old pilot John Gillespie Magee wrote a simple poem that made a greater impact on Americans than he could ever have imagined. From inspiring test pilots to astronauts, from the moon landing to the Challenger disaster, Magee's "High Flight" has been there.

The Declaration of Independence is a remarkable document. The history of it, the process of its formation, the drama, the politics, are all captivating. But its purpose is singular and inspiring: to express the American mind. It outlines what we believe to be true about humanity, human affairs, government. But we too often forget the nobility of the American founding, forget the eloquence and wisdom of the founders, forget the ideas and principles upon which our democracy is built. Perhaps hearing these words again might not only reacquaint us with these things but inspire us to recommit ourselves to them.

The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. They are rich, powerful, honest and biblical. There isn't a dud in the whole book. This prayer is the first in the collection and a fitting way to introduce the prayers contained here. It is a prayer of perspective and paradox that challenges our contemporary circumstantial way of judging and evaluating our lives personally and life in the larger sense. It is worth repeating. 

Kipling's "If" was an often memorized poem that is not heard of much today. It is considered an example of Victorian Stoicism. It is dated and paternalistic. But both my son and my daughter memorized it when they were kids and discussed its expressed ideas. It served them well. The poem is brief, proverbial, and power-packed, outing the virtues of manhood and maturity. It is worth repeating.

On June 6, 1944 as the allied invasion of Europe was underway, President Roosevelt took to the airwaves and led the nation in prayer. The greatest amphibious assault in history would begin the long, hard push to victory over the dark forces of fascism. Everything was at stake. And the nation prayed. 

Dr. Todd Williams reads from the Heidelberg Catechism. The first two questions and their answers of this important work from 1563 are powerful in their simplicity and profound in their implications for our thinking and living in this world today.

Dr. Todd J. Williams shares a Memorial Day reading of Abraham Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby. Freedom is not free and neglecting to remember the cost of it, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for it, leads to taking it for granted and holding it too cheaply.