Luke 2:19

"... but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often." (NLT)

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (NIV)

"Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself." (Message)

Some things you just can't let go of. They can be thoughts or ideas, or, as in Mary's case, miracles. Perhaps, sometimes, they can be teachings. Laws. Sermons. Some things can't be taken for granted. You have to examine them. Why did Mary wonder at the angel's message, the shepherds stories, the kings and their gifts? Why didn't she just immediately accept them? I mean, it was an angel! It was kings! It was shepherds who had traveled very, very far just to see her baby boy! 

What you listen to, talk about, see, do, hear, watch, whatever, is going to do one of two things: it's either going to pull you away from God or draw you to Him. There is no in between, no alternative, and no luke-warm. There is hot or cold. 

Luke 11:23 "Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me." (NLT)

There is a great need to determine what is truth and what is lie. What is prophesy and what is heresy. What is good and what is evil, what is moral and what is immoral, what to run to and what to run from. Arm yourself! Strive to learn! Because the more you know of the Lord, the less likely you are to fall to false teachings or unhealthy circumstances. Of course I say this as much to myself as to anyone else. Mary knew. Mary understood the importance of asking God what the truth was, the importance of following God instead of getting caught up in the whirl-wind of shepherds tales and kings gifts. Man. Especially today, how much to we need to realize the truth! 

Dark Knight and a Darker Night

I'm not sure if you've heard of the movie "The Dark Knight", but I went and saw it tonight with some friends. It's a sequel of a previous Batman movie (which I didn't see) and the basic plot line is this: Batman must play the role of the good outcast, perpetually the savior, trusting people's good nature, to defeat the evils of insanity and indifference, or the Joker. 

About a thousand Christian parallels are swarming like bees through my mind right now; however, I am not going to take the time to point them all out. Yet there is something I would like to mention. 

The scariest sort of person is the person who has nothing to lose. No fear of death or consequence, no care towards someone or emotional baggage, nothing monetary or spiritual in which to make them human. How can a hero defeat an apathetic enemy, who thrives off of chaos and makes no rules, lives by no plan, and leaves everything to chance? Or perhaps a better question would be, is this person even "human" anymore? 

Indeed, what is it that personifies us? What is it that grounds us, makes us vulnerable, propels us to believe in good and love and justice? What part of the conscious or psych connects us to our instincts? Is it a switch that can be broken under the cruelest of circumstances, and in that case forever dooming us to a life between something human and something almost demonic? 

For a Christian, a Disciple, Christ is the switch. Christ becomes our center, our clarity, Christ overshadows us in that we are no longer alone. Christ is our magnetic jacket that pulls forth our hopes and aspirations, that creates our sense of law and regulation; He is our ground on which we can say "I know how to be. I know what it is to feel love and compassion; I know what it is to live and be human." Christ becomes our argument when we are pulled at by the Joker. "People are all the same," he hisses, "Desperate, greedy, selfish." 

"This may be," you reply, "But it is no longer I, but Christ in me, which makes me whole." 

I will forever believe that people are born desiring to be good. That somewhere, as God tugs at there hearts, so does His sense of righteousness. And sometimes, it comes through. And sometimes, it is overpowered by the passions of sin. Yes, we are born sinners with sinful desires at times. But at the climax, at the root of everything, if pressed to the very wire I have to believe and cannot imagine otherwise that a person will not have something inside of them saying "do the right thing." 

A person himself cannot be satan. Only satan can be satan. But a person can be so reborn in Christ as to become part of the holiness, to become Christ-like. It is our calling for human nature to become Christ-nature. Maybe that is the instinct of goodness. I don't know. I'm not even sure what I'm talking about or if it makes the slightest sense. But of one thing I am certain, and that is that all will be righted through Christ, and human nature will continue to believe that justice will prevail. 

Consolidated Cogitation, Rhetorical Rumination.

"Not right tonight, not right tonight!" she cries. 

The air felt thick and heavy. It skulked around the doorway of her room and seeped into the corners, filtering into the pores of her pillows and dangling like mottled compost from the ceiling. It made the temperature plummet, and she shivered under clammy blankets while her thoughts collected and dispersed randomly, the atmosphere making it difficult to to be organized or succinct. 

Why was it not right tonight. 

I am wary of you. I watch you and I listen. You, the destroyer, I hate you. You mock us and shred us to pieces, you poison our minds and mutilate our intents until we are monsters. You despicable filth, you make me sick. I hope you choke on your own misfortune and are forever tortured in the pit of your own waste, you scum of creation. I pray you drown in a sea of agony, with each fiber of your being screaming until your mouth opens up to shriek the most horrible of death songs and fills with the most loathsome detritus beyond imagination. You have no power, you impotent idiot, you foul carrion, king of lies and all that is evil, you have no power. 

Who is there to bring you to justice, oh son of sordid obscenity? 

Look! There arises from the mountain tops a Judge!

"I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth!" Psalms 121:1-2

Here he comes in glory! Make way, make way for the King! The Holy Lamb, the Blameless One, the Pure, the Perfect, the Benevolent Father! He rides on the wings of the wind, the light as his garment and the sea as his mighty staff. Behold his radiant countenance, his righteous form, his incredible strength and powerful hands! Watch with wonder the miraculous deeds he performs, the mercy he shows those who adore him, the blessings he freely gives out of love! Praise Him, all ye nations! Shout with joy at the sight of your Lord! He who is deserving of all honor and devotion is coming, and coming with a vengeance against evil. Woe to those who follow the great traitor! For He who is coming comes with a imposing sword of Truth, behold, the Word!, and will seek to right the wrongs done by the father of arrogance. 

I will follow my Father. Behold, my Father is one of compassion and romance, slow to anger and abounding in love. He cradled me and is now instructing me, teaching me to do His will and pulling me close in his embrace that I may know Him more fully. Do not attempt to pull me astray, for my Father will bring me justice and you will cry out against the day you thought of causing me to sin. I warn you, detestable enemy, stay far from me! For the Light in me will burn you to ashes, and my Great Love will grind you to dust to save me. 

Send me, Lord, send me! Twist me and mold me, shape me! I will go! Let the nations tremble, God, let salvation reach them quickly! Bring swiftness to me feet and boldness to my heart, gentleness to my spirit and conviction in my words! Prepare the hearts of the nation, oh Lord, that they may receive the Message! Send me!

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21