Johnny Poppin' 8; Children of God

1 John 3:1-3
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

This has to be one of the most beautiful and reassuring passages in Scripture. How can I write anything to do it justice? How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us? That He calls us His children? Not in the mythological, legendary sense like our nation is a super race. Not in the false-doctrine, start-your-own-religion sense like we're the descendants of aliens or advanced beings who can transcend this material realm if we just tap into our inner powers. God is perfect and we are not He needs us to be capable of love and selflessness. We weren't before Jesus, our adoptive brother died for us on the cross, showing us how loving and selfless God is. He sacrificed His only Son so that we could become His children too.

1 John 3:4-10
4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Gotta admit, verses 6-9 there really gives me fits. Like Paul in Romans 7:14-25, I can't seem to escape sinning no matter how much I love and seek Jesus. It seems hopelessly complicated and hopelessly difficult, but (besides Romans 8:1-4) the part that clears it up for me because John reminds us of Jesus' great commandment, love. We aren't acting like God's children when we fail to love our brother. Who's your brother? Who's your neighbor? Jesus tells us in Luke 10:25-37.

What love God has lavished on us, to give us opportunities everyday to reflect His likeness by showing love toward others, no matter how different they are from us. Let's act like His children and bring honor to the family name. Let's make our Pappa proud!

Johnny Poppin' 7; The Antichrist(s)

1 John 2: 18-29
Warning Against Antichrists

¹⁸Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. ¹⁹They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
²⁰But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. ²¹I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. ²²Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. ²³No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
²⁴See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
²⁶I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. ²⁷As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Children of God

²⁸And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
²⁹If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

A lot of people like to use the concept of an antichrist to make people afraid.

Movie makers of 'the Omen' concocted a story about Satan's baby switched at birth with the stillborn child of a British diplomat who kills his nannies and priests who try to stop him.

Those who subscribe to mistaken doctrines of the millenialism and dispensationalism have tried to interpret the Revelation of John , chapter 13 to warn of an antichrist who will lead some kind of one-world government under Satanic control to try to thwart the coming 1,000 year earthly reign of Christ before the final judgment day. In fact, the term antichrist only appears in Johns letters, not in the book of Revelation. This kind of thing was declared heresy by the mainstream church by the 4th century. Still, whether because people like to think that they know or can predict how the end times will play out or because they want to scare people into becoming Christian, these false teachings persist. The irony is that John was writing against these very kinds of false teachings when he wrote 1 John.

Incidentally,  millenialsim may have it's roots in pre-Christian religions like Zoroastrianism, not to mention an unhealthy fascination with Nostradamus. Hitler offered a "Reich" or 1,000 year reign ushering in peace and good and a defeat of all evil (presumably Jews).

Most recently, political opponents of candidate Barrack Obama tried to spread rumors, mostly by viral emails, that he was the antichrist. They claimed that the according to Revelation, the antichrist would be in his mid forties, Muslim, and have huge popular appeal . Islam wasn't founded until 400 years after John wrote Revelation, and Obama repeatedly and openly proclaimed his belief in Jesus Christ.

Some of the types of teaching that John was warning his original readers about might have included those of Marcion of Sinope, a Greek Bible teacher who believed in two separate gods, Yaweh was the god of the old testament- which Marcion pretty much through out, and "God the Father," of the new testament.

Notice John explains that antichrists went out from us in verse 19? How many false teachers and false prophets operate under the guise of being "Christian?" 

"Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son." Who is an antichrist? Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

At John's time there was a movement called Gnosticism, or the "secret knowledge," a belief that we're all offspring of an imperfect god and can transcend the material world and become more god-like. Gnostics didn't believe that Jesus was the only begotten son of God, some thought He was an embodiment of the supreme being who came to Earth to bring this secret knowledge, others thought He was just an example of someone who managed to perceive the higher reality.

This false teaching is still showing up today, whether in things like 'the Da Vinci Code,' or various sects and cults like Scientology, that claim that salvation comes from the light within.

But John comforts us by reminding us to hold onto what we were originally taught and that our anointing being set aside for God's purpose in baptism still holds. We don't need some new secret, mystic knowledge, all we need is Jesus.

We don't have to be afraid of an antichrist or antichrists, all we have to do is to remember who the real Christ is and to trust in Him.

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A final word, I should've included this in the original post-
"Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:3

That verse is one of the ways I "tested" to be sure that President Obama is NOT an antichrist!

Lighten up, Lutherans

I've never seen a happy or friendly looking portrait of Martin Luther. But if you've read much Luther, you realize what a great sense of humor he had. My wife and I wanted to make something for our pastor for Christmas this year. As much as I thought that he'd appreciate one of those "suffer the little children to come unto me" pictures of Jesus- I just couldn't bring myself to do it, they're SO many of them. And I don't know whether I could capture either Jesus or a bunch of children successfully. I'm not saying that they should re-make the 2003 movie "Luther" and replace Joseph Fiennes with Jack Black in the role of Luther or anything, but I don't see why he can't be portrayed as a jovial and approachable paternal or even grandfatherly type. Why must he always be so stern and sober?

"You have as much laughter as you have faith" ~Martin Luther

"If you are not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there." ~Martin Luther

"The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." ~Martin Luther

"He who sits  in heaven laughs" Psalm 2:4

Nixon had his tapes, Bush has 22 MILLION emails!

Nixon had his tapes, Bush has 2 or 3 YEARS worth of emails
• bogus intel to sell the Iraq war
• Valerie Plame CIA blown cover
• torture memos
• Abu Ghraib
• Guantanimo
• US Attorney firings
Who knows what other skeletons are in the closet!

Read or listen to the story on NPR this morning

Thy will, not mine

God, I abandon myself into your hands. Do with me whatever you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you. I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. Into your hands I commend my spirit. I offer it to you with all the love that is in my heart. For I love you, Lord, and so want to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve and with boundless confidence. Amen.

A prayer of Charles de Foucauld

Johnny Poppin' 6; Do Not Love the World

¹²I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
¹³I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
¹⁴I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
-1 John 2:12-14

This poem-like greeting is even cooler when you old Saint Johnny when he wrote it. When he first became a disciple, he was one of Jesus' youngest followers, a small town fisherman on the "Sea" of Gallilee. When he wrote this letter to the church, he was an old man on some island in the Aegean, far from his roots, toward the end of his travels through Greece and Turkey spreading the word of God across the world. He may have been in his 80's or 90's. So it was very tender and sweet to call us "dear children." He's not being condescending or patronizing, he's full of affection. Try to remember that this isn't some archaic historical document or stuffy, academic theological treatise. This is a letter. The whole Bible is God's love letter to His children, but try thinking about first, second, and third John as letters from your grandpa or a great uncle. It really makes it personal and meaningful.

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
-1 John 2:15-17

This morning on my drive in to work, I happened upon Chuck Swindoll's radio broadcast, "Insight for Living" and he happened to be teaching on this same passage. Click here if you'd like to hear what he had to say about it.

It got me to thinking, what is "the world" anyway?

Often Christian teachers mention three enemies to the human soul, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. The Devil is obvious, a specific individual- intimidating but finite and already defeated by Christ. The flesh, well that's our own sinful human nature, our cravings, drives, and lusts (Romans 7:14-25). Sigmund Freud may have been wrong about a lot of things, but he was right that deep down human beings can be motivated by pleasure and pain.

But what exactly IS this thing they talk about when they say "the world?" Is it the planet Earth? The environment? Soil? Dirt? I don't think so.

In the 1976 movie, "Network," Arthur Jensen, chairman of the company which owns a television network, explains his "corporate cosmology" to a mentally unstable network news anchor;

"There is only one holistic system of systems; one vast interwoven, interacting, multivariate multinational dominion of dollars. Petrodollars, electrodollars, reichmarks, rubles, rin, pounds and shekels. It is the international system of currency that determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic, subatomic and galactic structure of things today..."

No, I'm sure that a lot of you who know my political leanings are assuming that I'm accusing "the world" of being the financial world or maybe materialism or consumerism, but it's more than that. It is society, human culture, the holistic system of systems or selfish, short sighted, sinful humans- it is all of us together, collectively.

Call it peer pressure if you want to, but it's not a sentient, conscious, deliberate being like either our own selves or Satan. But it does have a gravity to it., a climate, and current, a sway. It includes all our lusts, all our sinful ambitions, including but not limited to money and consumerism too. Sex, power, prestige, attention, food, entertainment- sex, drugs and rock and roll- sex, politics, and religion- all of this constitutes "the world," and all of us together.

Is "the world" money and consumerism? You bet. I think it's also prejudice and discrimination and racism, sexism, and bigotry of all kinds including homophobia and religious bigotry. It's hate. It's what Thomas Hobbes might have called being in a cruel, rough state of constant competition. Martin Luther King Jr. would have said that it included poverty, racism, and militarism.

It is "the way we've always done things," the way things are, societal and institutional pressures. It is the force that says that it's not okay to be a 40 year old virgin and the force that says that you have to be skinny and tall and tan and have big boobs or big genitalia and ripped abs. "The world" is the "they" that always seem to have something to say. It is the voyeuristic need to know who's doing who and who's on what and the urge to be famous on your own "reality" show.

1 John 2:15-17 warns against three traps of the world;- lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and boastful pride; Hedonism, materialism, and egotism.

But we are called to be in the world but not of it. To love the sinners but hat the sin.

In John's Gospel, toward the end of his ministry, before his suffering and death, Jesus tells us that we aren't at home in this world.

John 15:19 "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

In John 17, Jesus prays for His disciples and for us too- John 17:15 "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."

He reminds God the Father that we are aliens in this system of sinful systems.
John 17:16 "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it."

Try to BE the person you hope your child will become

Johnny Poppin 5: Living in the Light

7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. -1 John 2:7-8

in the Gospel of John 13:34-35, Jesus told His disciples (John being one of them) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

THAT is the whole point which I was trying to make in my past post on 1 John. They will know we are Christians by our love. All the law and the prophets is summed up in these, love the Lord your God with all your heart... and love you neighbor as ourselves. These three remain, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. That's not from the Beatles of from some tree-hugging, granola chewing, pot smoking hippie- that's from God.

Before you start thinking that this is light-weight, touchy-feely, girlie, panzy stuff- John gets pretty serious and hard core in the next few verses.

9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. -1 John 2:9-11

What causes hate? Why did Cain's familial love for his brother get overridden by enough hate to kill him? Ignorance? Fear? Anger? Jealousy? Pride? Being offended somehow? Insecurity? Competition for resources, for interests, for attention, position, control? Prejudice? All these things. Tuck away the word fear into a file cabinet in your brain, because we'll address it again later on in 1 John. For now, know that if hate is the opposite of love, fear is the opposite of faith. (you probably thought that it was the opposite of courage or confidence, but trust me on this one. And remember, that fear and love are enemies. Love crowds out fear and hate. I've always tried to explain "sin" to people as anything we think, feel, or do which damages our relationships with God or with others.

Mirriam Webster says that hate is an intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. When we hate, we dislike and what's more we wish ill for someone. I want to remind you that in Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus says that hate is pretty much equivalent to murder.

It's like the old joke; "I'm a pacifist. I believe in peace, and I believe in it so strongly that I'm willing to fight for that belief!" Note the irony.

But how often do we see it played out in real life? Animal rights activists so enraged by cruelty to animals that they resort to violence against humans. Or someone who is so "Pro-life" that they bomb a health clinic where they are performed, or that they assassinate a doctor who performs late term abortions while he serves as an usher at church.

I'm not trying to pick on the pro life movement or condone abortion- what I'm trying to point out is that ALL of us (myself included) tend to get complacent and assume that we're "good" Christians and don't sin, when every day we allow hate to influence our motivations and cloud our judgments, taint our reactions, and before long, it permeates every aspect of our unconscious without our even realizing it.

Lord Jesus,
this Advent season, come into our lives and open our eyes to Your light and may we live and walk in the light of Your love, no more to stumble around in the darkness of our petty, selfish hate- whether it be a burning, consuming hatred or a gradually corrosive yet hardly noticeable mundane and banal, everyday sneaky or subconscious hate. Instead, help us to abide by Your commandment to love one another, to love You above all else and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Amen

Advent Devotion: His name is our name too

14 " 'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 " 'In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.'

-Jeremiah 33:14-16

Usually at Christmas, we think of the baby Jesus, being born into the family of mankind, God incarnated in lowly flesh. But it's important to remember why He did it- not so that He could be in our dysfunctional family, but so that we could become a part of His, complete, whole, perfectly loving family. 1 John 3:1a declares "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

When a child is adopted, they receive the last name of their adoptive family. You are no longer a John or Jane "Doe," unaffiliated, unclaimed, unknown, unassociated. Once adopted, you are no longer unsafe or unsaved.

Because Jesus was born on Christmas, and died for our sins on Good Friday and defeated sin, death, and the Devil on Easter morning- we are adopted as God's children. Christ isn't really a last name, it's a title- it means "anointed one." To be anointed means to be set aside for God's special purpose. To be "Christians" (little-Christs) means that we inherit that same purpose, the purpose is sharing God's love and the good news of His forgiveness through Jesus- our purpose is to enlarge the family.

Having the right name can make all the difference. In the movie "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" a group of New York teenagers spend all night trying to find the club that their favorite band will play. Most people have to stand in lines outside, few get past the bouncers- but Nora can get her friends in every time. The reason is because she's the daughter of a famous music producer with lots of connections. Her name gets her perks.

In Jeremiah 33, God promised a new branch in His family tree and He gives us His name as our new name- "The Lord is our righteousness." Without Jesus, none of us could ever be holy or worthy to be set aside for His purposes, let alone be His child. But once adopted, He no longer sees our own lack of righteousness, He IS our righteousness.

This Christmas, remember the Christ part of the holiday's name, because it is also OUR name if we are adopted into His family. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

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Know someone who's adopted? Pray for them this Christmas.

Are you facing an unplanned pregnancy? Adoption is a beautiful choice. Give your baby the gift of life and the gift of a loving family who're looking for a child to love and care for.

Got love and resources to share? Be like Joseph the carpenter from Nazareth, consider adopting or becoming a foster parent.

http://www.lfsiowa.org - Lutheran Family Services of Iowa

http://www.christianadopt.org - Christian Adoption Services

Holiday Iconography

Here's a little exercise in graphic design I gave myself today that put me in the Christmas spirit. Feel free to right-click and download or save as any of these graphics and use them for whatever print or web media you like. I plan on adding versions for all four weeks of Advent, plus one with the white Christ candle int he middle for Christmas. I saved these as PNGs at about 150 dpi. I'll be happy to email any of them to anyone who's interested too. While I personally like the ecumenical purple, just let me know and I'll be glad to send you some in LCMS Advent blue if you prefer. They're supposedly transparent, so they should work on whatever colored background your particular blog, Web site or email happens to be. I think they'll look pretty much like they do here on paper.

I know, doing pro-bono work is a bad business model, but it's the season of giving, right? If it's important to you to give and not just receive, you can always look for the PayPal donate button on my cartoon blog. Above is my first design, an Advent Mandela- sort of the traditional Advent wreath only viewed from directly above.
This year, instead of an Advent calendar with little drawers to pull out, we opted for a devotional Advent tree, separate from our family's main Christmas Tree. It has 26 numbered mini-stockings on it for our girls to find surprises in after we read devotions.
I think my favorite of the 4 designs is this Advent "Menorah." I guess I've always been fascinated with Christianity's roots in Judaism. It may also hearken for some the Kwanzaa candles too. But even if neither of these other faith traditions come to mind, the half wreath might suggest an elliptical full-Gestalt wreath. Plus I love the organic looking wick and flame on this one.
I call this one my Advent graphic-equalizer for you stereo-philes out there. In our house we use a crystal bar with four tea lights in it rather than a traditional evergreen or holly wreath. I miss the crown of thorns symbolism, but with out busy family it's hard to keep the table tops clear- especially with all the gift wrapping this time of year.

The absolute certainty of Grace

This scene from 'the Hammer of God' really shows how it's not about me, it's all about Him. There is nothing we can ever do to be saved or to be good- it is only what Jesus came to do that matters. A tremendous gift to remember this Christmas, is the gift of being rescued, like a worthless tin can on a trash heap that God recycles into something He can use again.

This is an excerpt from Swedish theologian Bo Giertz's novel, 'the Hammer of God'-

This scene is when a new curate (vicar, intern) first meets his rector (head pastor, supervisor). The intern is zealous about a revival going on in Europe and a bit prejudiced of the boss he's just met because he had a glass of cognac with his supper. This conversation takes place 3 nights before Christmas.

"I just want you to know from the beginning, sir, that I am a believer," he said. His voice was a bit harsh.
He saw a gleam in the old man's eyes which he could not interpret. Was approval, or did he have something up his sleeve?
The rector put the lamp back on the table, puffed at his pipe, and looked at the young man a moment before his spoke.
"So you are a believer, I'm glad to hear that. What do you believe in?"
Fridfeldt stared dumbfounded at his superior. Was he jesting with him?
"But sir, I am simply saying that I am a believer."
"Yes, I hear that, my boy. But what is it that you believe in?"
Fridfeldt was almost speechless.
"But don't you know, sir, what it means to be a believer?"
That is a word which can stand for things that differ greatly, my boy. I ask only what it is that you believe in."
"In Jesus, of course," answered Fridfeldt, raising his voice.
"I mean- I mean that I have given Him my heart."
The older man's face became suddenly solemn as the grave.
"Do you consider that something to give Him?"
By this time, Fridfeldt was almost in tears.
"But sir, if you do not give your heart to Jesus, you cannot be saved."
"You are right, my boy. And it is just as true that, if you think you are saved because you gave Jesus your heart, you will not be saved. You see, my boy," he continued reassuringly, as he continued to look at the young pastor's face, in which uncertainty and resentment were shown in a struggle for the upper hand, "it is one thing to choose Jesus as one's Lord and Savior, to give Him one's heart and commit oneself to Him, and that he now accepts one into His flock; it is a very different thing to believe in him as Redeemer of sinners, of whom one is chief. One does not choose a Redeemer for oneself, you understand, nor give one's heart to Him. The heart is a rusty old can on a junk heap. A fine birthday gift, indeed! But a wonderful Lord passes by, and has mercy on the wretched tin can, sticks His walking cane through it, and rescues it from the junk pile and takes it home with Him. That is how it is."
Fridfeldt said nothing. Though it seemed sacrilegious to speak about the Savior in connection with such an ungodly thing as a walking stick, he saw that the old man's intention was certainly not sacrilegious. He felt this by the very tone of his voice.When the old man continued, his voice was gentler still.
"And now you must understand that these two ways of believing are like two different religions, they have nothing whatever to do with each other."
"And yet," he added thoughtfully, "one might say that there is a path that leads from the lesser to the greater. First one believes in repentance, and then in grace..."

Beware of claims of religious heritage

Source:, Wikipedia.

William Bradford was born on March 19, 1590 near Doncaster, in Austerfield, Yorkshire. At an early age, he was attracted to the "primitive" congregational church, in nearby Scrooby, and became a committed member of what was termed a "Separatist" church, since the church-members had wanted to separate from the Church of England. By contrast, the Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England. The Separatists felt the Church was beyond redemption due to unbiblical doctrines and teachings.

By comparison, Luther wanted to reform the existing church, other protestants wanted to break off from the Catholic church. Some cynical historians have said that the "Pilgrim" Separatists were to the Church of England (Anglicans) as the Branch Dividians were to the Seventh Day Adventists, or maybe like what the polygamous Fundamentalist LDS groups are to the Mormons. Not just a sect, but a radical, almost -like sect.

When James I began to persecute Separatists in 1609, Bradford fled to the Netherlands, along with many members of the congregation. These Separatists went first to Amsterdam before settling at Leiden. Bradford married his first wife, Dorothy May (d. December 7, 1620), on December 10, 1613 in Amsterdam. While at Leiden, he supported himself as a fustian weaver.
Signing of the Mayflower Compact, a painting by Edward Percy Moran, which hangs at the Pilgrim Hall Museum

King James I is the same guy who commissioned the King James Bible, that so many people seem to like more than Revised Standard, New International, or just about any other translation. Britain has had a great deal of political and religious strife between Anglicans and Catholics- "Bloody Mary," etc. Unfortunate that they couldn't embrace some sort of pluralism or evangelicalism between Christian denominations, huh? Take some time to study the English Civil Wars from Charles I and Charles II through the time of Oliver Cromwell and you'll find that Christians, not Muslims, Jews, or Atheists were the biggest threat to Christians in British history.

Shifting alignments of the European powers (due to religious differences, struggles over the monarchies and intrigues within the ruling Habsburg clan) caused the Dutch government to fear war with Catholic Spain, and to become allied with James I of England. Social pressure (and even attacks) on the separatists increased in the Netherlands. Their congregation's leader, John Robinson, supported the emerging idea of starting a colony. Bradford was in the midst of this venture from the beginning. The separatists wanted to remain Englishmen (although living in the Netherlands), yet wanted to get far enough away from the Church of England and the government to have some chance of living in peace. Arrangements were made, and William with his wife sailed for America in 1620 from Leiden aboard the Mayflower.

Puritanism was founded on the theology of John Calvin, and one of their major doctrines was predestination. Calvin believed that the grace of God was the only way into Heaven and that his grace could not be earned. But, whereas Luther taught that. we are saved only by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9) Calvin believed that God's grace was bestowed upon a select few, they and only they were permitted to be saved. We know that this is wrong because God does not want ANYONE to perish (2 Peter 3:8-9). Do I need to remind you about the Salem Witch trials, or the stockades or banishing Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson for conducting Bible studies?

TREASURE our First Amendment right from officially government sanctioned religion and our right to the unrestricted free exercise of religion. Sure, pluralism permits false teachings to coexist with the truth. Jesus evan talks about this dilema in His parable of the weeds and the grain Matthew 13:24–30, 36-43.

The next time someone starts talking about how America was founded as a "Christian Nation," remind them that that just means it was founded by sinners and hippocrites and by no means makes us perfect- nor should it mean that we should persecute or alienate peoples of other faiths or people of no faith.

Most importantly ask them which denomination Christian Nation America was founded on. Jamestown was Anglican, Plymouth was Separatist Puritan, Texas, Florida, California, and Louisiana were all Catholics, Pennsylvania had Quakers, Lutherans, and Jews. Utah, of course by Mormons.

Religion did indeed play an immeasurably important role in the founding of the United States, but so did geopolitics, imperialism, tobbacco, cotton, and slavery. And mammon- don't forget, money. After all, the London Company and the Massatchusetts Bay Company were corporations intended to make profits for their stock-holders after all. Money makes the world go round.

We should appreciate and recognize our religious herritage, but we should also be careful not to make too much of it of fall into the sins of pride and arrogance because of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

O give thanks unto the Lord of lords, for His mercy endureth for ever.
~Psalm 136:3

A poem attributed to Plymouth Colonial Governor William Bradford:

From my years young in days of youth,
God did make known to me his truth,
And call'd me from my native place
For to enjoy the means of grace.
In wilderness he did me guide,
And in strange lands for me provide.
In fears and wants, though weal and woe,
A pilgrim, past I to and fro:
Oft left of them whom I did trust;
How vain it is to rest on dust!
A man of sorrows I have been,
And many changes I have seen.
Wars, wants, peace, plenty, have I known;
And some advanc'd, others thrown down.
The humble poor, cheeful and glad;
Rich, discontent, sower and sad:
When fears and sorrows have been mixt,
Consolations came betwixt.
Faint not, poor soul, in God still trust,
Fear not the things thou suffer must;
For, whom he loves he doth castise,
And then all tears wipes from their eyes.
Farewell, dear children, whom I love,
Your better Father is above:
When I am gone, he can supply;
To him I leave you when I die.
Fear him in truth, walk in his ways,
And he will bless you all your days.
My days are spent, old age is come,
My strength it fails, my glass near run:
Now I will wait, when work is done,
Until my happy change shall come,
When from my labours I shall rest,
With Christ above for to be blest.

Happy Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown

Linus van Pelt: In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: 'We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice."
Patricia 'Peppermint Patty' Reichardt: Amen.

Johnny Poppin 4B; Do we know Him? How do other's know if we know Him?

³We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ⁴The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

-1 John 2:3-6

I wanted to say some more about this passage because it dawned on me that I may have only been seeing it from one angle. There's another angle that I think is simpler and more profound.

I was asking, "how do I know Him?" The verse says that if we obey His word, then God's love is made complete. If I say one thing and do another, I'm a liar when I say that I know Him. So, I had asked, "how do I obey His commands." I stand by my last post, that God's ultimate command is love.

But what about from the outside? How can others tell if we know Jesus?

Same answer; LOVE.

Last night Campbell Brown was mediating between two Catholic priests who were arguing and seemed totally contemptuous of each other. Evidently an American Bishop had told a member of the Kennedy family that he could not receive Holy Communion because of his political stance on abortion. One priest felt that this was completely appropriate and consistent with church law. The other pointed out that Pope John Paul II had administered the sacrament himself directly to Italian lawmakers whom he knew full well favored pro-choice legislation.

The battle was heated and unpleasant, so say the least. Neither of these supposed men of God appeared to have much love for each other, let alone for anyone who disagreed with each one's point of view. Oh, I know that the anti-abortion argument is that"Thou shalt not kill" is one of God's commands, but "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:22)

If looking at a woman lustfully is tantamount to committing adultery, isn't holding such disdain, anger, and hatred for your philosophical or political opponents tantamount to murder?

This incident on CNN reminded me that following the Protestant Reformation, Europe was plunged into a period of almost continuous religious conflict and civil wars. Christian hating Christian, Christian maligning Christian, torturing Christian, slaughtering Christian, all in the name of Christ and defending right doctrine.

Evangelicals like to make a big deal of the Pilgrims coming to America seeking religious freedom- but they never seem to recall that they weren't being persecuted by atheists or Muslims or Jews, the Puritan Separatists were escaping King James I (as in the King James Bible!).

Just this week a 400 lb car bomb partially exploded outside the Policing Board headquarters in Belfast, Ireland- even though they've had peace agreements between Christians and Catholics there for ten years now. Someone thinks it's more important to be right and destroy those who are wrong, than to be patient, kind, protective, hopeful, or trusting (1 Cor 13:4-7). They may think that they know God, but are they REALLY following His commands?

Yesterday I posted my comments on a verse in the Christmas carol, Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel;

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.

A friend of mine commented on that post on facebook with the lyrics of Irish band U2-

"And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, sisters, brothers, sisters
Torn apart

The real battle's just begun
To claim the victory Jesus's won
On...

Sunday, bloody Sunday.."

What I learned the other day about hauling grain at harvest is that if the tractor driver wants to just do his own thing, it can be disastrous. If I moved away from the combine to feel safer or more in control, the farmer couldn't empty his corn tank into my wagon. If I sped up to get done faster, grain falls short of the wagon and money is wasted. If I get too close to the combine, we could have a potentially fatal accident with our huge machines. I have to match speed and hold a constant, and appropriate for the grain drop to hit the wagon just right.

Sometimes we take our eyes off of Jesus and the love and forgiveness of the Gospel because we're busy examining and scrutinizing the moves and motives of everybody else. How well do they measure up? How well do they cut the mustard? It becomes so important to us that everyone follow each letter of the law perfectly, that we forget what the spirit of the law really is. It's a forest/trees thing.

Don't get me wrong, I do it to. We're so zealous to defend and enforce the truth, that we forget that the truth has set us free. Swedish theologian Bo Giertz does an eloquent and touching job of illustrating this with the main character, in his book "The Hammer of God," the young pastor stirred people up to follow God's rules and live pure and chaste lives- but he fails to really show them how much God loves them or to lead them to either love God or love one another.

I realize that this devotion has gotten a little long, so just let me wrap it up and bring it back to our original question. How can others tell if we know Jesus?

To answer- more song lyrics:

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

Christians, and Americans need peace among themselves and love for one another

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66
Hymn # 31 from Lutheran Worship
Author: French Processional
Tune: Veni Emmanuel
1st Published in: 1854

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NRSV)

12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.

One of the things that weighs on my heart this Thanksgiving is how politically divided we are. Families can barely talk about important issues because progressives think conservatives are anti-intellectual and merely following the talking points that they get from FOX NEWS and conservatives think that progressives aren't even Christian and are being mislead by some anti-American, foreign born, Muslim antichrist.

Even our Christian denominations are struggling with schisms over immigration, abortion, and gay marriage.

Let us pray this year that, yes, God's truth prevail, but also that wounds would heal and egos and agendas be set aside so that we might focus on what His most important commands, His command to love Him with all our strength and all our hearts and minds. The command to love one another as He first loved us. The command to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Enough anger and vitriol and judgment and condemnation. Enough division and struggle! Let there be peace, let there be love. O come, Prince of Peace, come to our hearts and our homes and our congregations. O come to our nation, and bring peace on Your wings!

USE peace, don't just have it

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." -MLK

Call me crazy, but I don't think Dr. King is just talking about accomplishing civil rights with civil disobedience. I tend to think that it's applicable to parenting, teaching, coaching, and any interactions which we have with others- even driving!

Think about it, getting defensive, getting even, getting your own way- these all escalate tension and cause stress.

Calm and warm is more likely to set others at ease, even calm them down so that people on both sides of any disagreement can see more clearly and move forward without crashing into one another.

Something to keep in mind next week when we all spend an inordinate amount of time with our dysfunctional extended families, right?

Before you think he's just some bleeding heart liberal, or that he was some kind of new-ager, under the influence of Hindu gurus like Ghandi- be sure to see what Jesus says in Matthew 5:38-48.

JohnnyPoppin' 4; You think you know Him?

³We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ⁴The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

-1 John 2:3-6

It might be that it took me a long time to write on this passage because it had to incubate. What are His commands? The 10 Commandments? The 613 laws (same # as seeds in a pomegranate) that the Pharisees prescribed for their followers?

It might have took me a long time because I struggle so much with my own walk. I feel inadequate to write with any authority on these verses because I am such a miserable sinner myself.

Bottom line, God doesn't demand nearly that much. I don't think He really demands perfection either. But He does want to complete you. What kind of obedience is He looking for?

Matthew 22:37-39
37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

John 13:34
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

And what does it mean to walk as Jesus did?

Luke 9:23-24
23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

I recently learned a skill that made walking with Jesus and "as Jesus did" mean a lot more to me. My brother-in-law taught me how to haul corn. Having to drive a tractor up beside a combine and keep pace with it so that it can empty it's tank into the wagon you're pulling isn't very easy at all. Walking with, or how and where Jesus walks isn't always easy either. You have to keep up, but not move ahead. You can't be too close, or too far- other wise you could crash or you could lose corn. You have to be in sync with the driver of the combine. You have to know where he;s going and what his intentions are.

Sound too hard? Not really. The real keys to following along side a combine with a tractor and wagon is practice and experience. Hills, curves and bumps all make it more challenging. The real key to walking with and like Jesus, is to stay in touch with Him. Reading your Bible regularly, rather than leaving it on the shelf helps you stay in tune (like the graphic I used at the top of this post, the Bible is our user's manual, after all). Speaking and listening to Him in prayer helps keep you in tune. Exposing yourself to Bible study, devotions, or good teaching is a good way. Being involved in Christian fellowship is yet another way.

Above all, it's all about love, love for God and love for others. THAT's what Jesus did, what He does, and what He would do. Next time you see of hear about "WWJD." Remember, He loved, He loves, and He'd love. Let God complete His love in you, obey His commands- love Him and love others.

Also, sometimes if you're in park and can't seem to get it back into gear, it helps to pop the clutch.

JohnnyPoppin' 3; I write this so that you will not sin

Read all of 1 John 2:1-14 all at once

¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Why did John write this letter? "So you will not sin."
There were some controversies in the church already, and some false teachings going around. Being not just one of the original 12 disciples, but close to Jesus personally, John wanted to inoculate or vaccinate early believers from being misled. There are always people out there with wrong or misleading information.

It could be that they're simply mistaken or that they're motivated by profit, power, or fame, or for whatever reason, they may actually want to corrupt or destroy God's message of forgiveness. John wrote these letters to protect his readers from lies and/or mistakes that could cause them to sin. Ah, but he also assured them (and assures us) that if/when we mess up, we have an advocate, a defense attorney, someone who has the ear of God the Father- Jesus Himself. No matter how badly we've messed up in our lives, He has paid for us.

Wouldn't it be great to have Warren Buffett or Bill Gates show up and pay off all your credit cards and loans and mortgage and offer to pay your bills from here on out? To be totally debt-free through no doing of your own? That's exactly what we have from a spiritual (though not financial) point of view. Jesus is the once and for all sacrifice that makes us right with God.

And not just us. He died for everyone for all time. Granted, if anyone rejects His forgiveness, He isn't going to force it on anyone. Skeptics complain that if there really is a loving God, why doesn't He just save everyone? Well, hate to burst your bubble, but He did! Unfortunately, people don't believe it, don't accept it, deny it and refuse it- even ridicule and belittle it.

That's my explanation in a nutshell of a sad aspect of society's reaction to the Gospel- Here in these verse though John isn't talking to all people, he's talking to fellow believers and he's reminding them that Jesus- not anyone else, and especially not ourselves is the atoning sacrifice. THAT is the core of the Gospel, the basis of Christianity.

Some of the heresies, the false teachings John wanted to warn his readers about claimed that Jesus was just another human and not God's only begotten Son, and some of them taught that anyone could become "godlike" if they just got in touch with their inner light. But only Jesus is the light, and any light we receive is from Him. We can become "Christ-like" only through Him.

But again, in the book of 1 John, John wants to help his readers avoid these errors, but in verses one and two, he's also assuring them that if they fall prey to these false teachings but realize their mistake, God who is faithful and just will forgive them because of what Jesus did on the cross.

JohnnyPoppin' 2; Let's be honest ...

"⁵This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." -1 John 1:5-10

I think one of my favorite things about the liturgy in the Lutheran church is when we admit that if we claim to be without sin, we're deceiving ourselves... and that if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just will forgive us and cleanse us.

Here John lays it on the line, "Hey," he kind of says, "if you think you're perfect and that you don't need Jesus, you're fooling yourself."

Martin Luther knew he found a profound truth when he discovered Romans 3:23, where Paul tells us that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ALL. No matter how smart, how old, how wealthy, how important or powerful. Everyone gets selfish and short-sighted sometime. No matter how young and seemingly innocent, no matter how gentle or well intentioned- every single human being on Earth has thought, said, or did something that damages their relationships with God and with others. We all try to be our own gods.

Once we admit that and get it out in the open, we can move on without pretense and pretending. We're all equal at the foot of the cross, we share our vulnerability and guilt. It's like the way addicts humbly approach their brothers and sisters at an Alcoholic's Anonymous (AA) meeting- "Hi, I'm John, and I'm an alcoholic..." then they can share their story, questions, concerns, ideas, or opinions.

John is saying that once we own up to our responsibilities- "Hi, I'm Ted, and I'm a sinner..." we are able to move on and learn and grow and share together.

Notice what else John said? I emphasized parts of the verse above by making them bold.

In the Gospel of John, John 1:1-14 John first refers to Jesus as the light. Jesus calls Himself the light of the world in John 8:12 and 9:5. When a converted believer says "I have SEEN the LIGHT!" That doesn't just mean that they see the errors of their ways or are enlightened, it means that they have encountered the God that loves them in a real and personal way.

John tells us that if we come into the light- if we stop hiding and burying our heads in the sand but come and walk and talk with Jesus, He will accept us, in fact, He will forgive us and clean us from the wrong we've done and the mistakes we've been carrying around.

We don't have to be like vile cockroaches or disease-ridden vermin that scatter when someone turns on the light. We can be safe and comfortable with Him and He will help us to become safe and comfortable with each other.

We can be in meaningful community with God and each other. Like recovering alcoholics who feel most comfortable and least judged, most able to be sincere and vulnerable with their sponsor and their fellow AA members- we can have deep and powerful relationships with God and with other believers.

And guess what? It's a lot easier to see things as they really are- and to walk around while avoiding obstacles and injuries when you're in the light.

So open up God's Word, set a side some prayer time to spend with Him, and for cryin' out loud, go to that youth group meeting, that Bible study, that fellowship or that church service and see what it's like to connect in a meaningful way with other sinners.

Know what? The more time you spend with "the Light" (Jesus) the more you'll start to reflect His personality, the more like Him your character will become. It's called reflecting His glory. Remember what the band Smashmouth says, "You'll never shine if you don't glow!"

Me ka pule,
Ted

Johnny Poppin!

Reflections* on the epistles of the disciple whom Jesus loved.

"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us," (1 John 1:3a) Click here to read 1 John 1:1-4

I would like to begin taking a look at three of my favorite books of the Bible, John's letters.

They're not sure who specifically John was writing to. Most of Paul's letters are named for the cities where the churches the letter is addressed to was at; Romans, Corinthians, Galations, etc. Most scholars do think he may have been living in Ephasus and he wanted to address some controveries brewing in the early church and warn readers about some false teachings that were going around.

All 3 "Johannin" letters are written in a fairly personal mannor. I think that 1 John 1, verses 1-4 really demonstrate this. Keep in mind who this is, the Apostle John. This is the same guy who wrote the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation. He was one of the original 12 Disciples, the one whom Jesus felt close enough to that He asked him to take care of His mother Mary when He was on the cross (John 19:25-27).

There's even some speculation that this John was a younger first cousin (not to be confused with John the Baptist) or even a half or step-brother. James & John were called the sons of Zebadee and the "Sons of Thunder." James went on to become an elder of the early church in Jeruselum.

In the opening 4 verses of this letter, John is making it absolutely clear that he's not just another preacher or evangelist. He's not telling us this stuff to hear himself talk- or to make money or get famous. He knew Jesus personally. He saw and heard and experienced this stuff. He wasn't just on of the 12, he was part of the inner circle of Peter, James and John- arguably one of Jesus best friends here on Earth.

This was personal. And his credentials are unimpeachable.

And why did he write First, Second and Third John? Why am I writing this?

"So that you also may have fellowship with us" and "to make my joy complete."

John wanted other people to know Jesus, to know the Word, to know THE Life (Jesus calls Himself the "life" in John 14:6. To be in fellowship is to be a companion, sharing an experience. It's a deep and meaningful form of friendship or association.

Our church's youth group is called Lutheran Youth FELLOWSHIP (LYF). Think about J.R.R. Tolkien's epic "the Fellowship of the Ring." They were a band of brothers, pledged to the same mission and virtues, and pleadged to each other.

John wanted to expand the family of God. And he wanted to offer a more fulfilling life in the here-and-now, but more importantly eternal life in fellowship with God.

I can't seem to get kids to attend high school Bible Study on Sunday mornings and I have too many of my own family and professional obligations to be able to give them the time needed to be the adult leader of their LYF. That puts two big obstacles in the way to our being in fellowship together in God's Word. But I still have this burning in my heart Jeremiah 20:9 to share God's love and my reactions to what I read in the Bible. So here I am. Sharing with whoever you are, reading this on my blog or on facebook.

I'm not making money on this. I'll never get famous doing it. I wasn't one of Jesus' best friends in Galilee 2,000 years ago, but I can tell you what I believe He's done on my own life and how I believe He reveals Himself to us today. That's personal. Unlike John, my credentials may be relatively impeachable, but I hope you can see that my motives are honest and genuine.

If you're interested, keep reading. It may be sporadic (I won't say- look for something every Thursday) it could end up being every other day or every other week, but I am going to make an effort to write about all 3 books. Sometimes it will end up being about this long- hopefully it will usually be a lot shorter.

Bookmark http://malloryprayer.blogspot.com/search/label/JohnnyPopper and that way you'll be able to read all of these reflections whenever they are posted and whenever you have time.

Me ka pule**,
Ted

---

*Reflections: I don't hold a ThD or a Master's in Religion, Doctrine or Theology or anything like that. I'm just a layman in whom God's Word burns (Jeremiah 20:9) so don't think of this as an expert, deep-academic Bible Study per se, think of these as informal devotions or personal responses to John's letters meant to share and hopefully encourage you to read God's Word for yourself and nurture a personal relationship with Jesus.

**"Me ka pule" is Hawaiian for "in prayer." I figure it kind of fits with the whole pirate theme of this blog.

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The Marine stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, Marine,

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

'No, Lord, I guess I ain'.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears

If you've a place for me here, Lord,

It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod..

As the Marine waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you Marine,

You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell.'

~Author Unknown~