The Holiday Tree

Isaiah envisions this day when everyone recognizes that it is the God of Israel who is the true God. I am not tempted to go to the temple of Rimon or the temple of Ba’al or the Temple of Marduk to “cover” the bases to ensure success and peace. But ….maybe there are some gods that present a temptation just with different names. The god of wealth, the god of pleasure, the god of health, the god of family these do entice. In Isaiah’s vision, he sees a day when there will be no more enticement. On the news they had a report of the lightning of the holiday tree in Raleigh. When I heard the report I immediately was troubled and frustrated by the fact that they had to call the tree a holiday tree. I resisted….just barely a telephone call to the station. As I cooled down, I realized there might have been some unrighteous oversensitivity on my part. As a minister the marginalization of the church is threatening. It excludes me. Fear created a disproportionate response. It can happen that as we try to encourage others to follow Christ that we come face to face with some of our own insecurities in these very people we might be trying to encourage. We can without thinking respond harshly because we are responding to our fears. The couple that doesn’t know Jesus and spends their free time with friends and family pursing the god of family or the god of pleasure may threaten you. Maybe they really are more peaceful than me. We await the day when there are no more threats.