Newsletter: Piano Man

In 1973, Billy Joel released, Piano Man, a song that has since become a classic. The setting of the song is a bar. Joel introduces us to a number of the patrons who drink and listen to the piano player: “…it's me they've been coming to see/To forget about life for awhile.” The song is actually quite depressing. Each of the patrons has a story of disappointment. We meet Paul the “real estate novelist/Who never had time for a wife.” We meet an old man, “making love to his tonic and gin,” longing for the past. We meet John who laments, “Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star/If I could get out of this place.”

The song has probably lasted these many years because it speaks to the common experience of unrealized hopes. Each one of us can list regrets, missed opportunities, and failure. The litany of disappointment recited by the crowd on Saturday night shares much in common with our confession of sin on Sunday morning. Yet there is a difference. On Saturday night, the businessmen lose themselves in their drinks and the music of the piano man. They practice a few hours of forgetfulness. On Sunday morning, we practice forgiveness for all eternity. Because of the resurrection, because of Easter, we have victory. We rise above our failure just as our Savior has risen from the ultimate failure of death.

On the subject of the resurrection, the Apostle Paul writes, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:17-19). The pastor, Eugene Peterson, has expressed Paul’s words this way, “If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot.” The truth of Easter changes everything, and new life is the result. The communion we share together with our Lord Jesus Christ is certainly better than “sharing a drink they call loneliness” and it’s better than “drinking alone.”

Grace & Peace,
James

Newsletter: A Season of Preparation

I don’t like surprises. Instead of just allowing life to happen, I prefer the Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared.” When challenges come, I like to be ready to offer assistance and to help others. I find preparing and planning a useful tool. However, preparation is never an end in itself. When Sara was pregnant, I made preparations. I remember building the crib and painting the baby’s room. I remember taking Lamaze classes, and I remember even trying to read What to Expect When Your Expecting. Through my preparations, I wanted to avoid surprises. Essentially, I wanted to be in control. However, I quickly discovered, as all fathers do, from the very beginning I was never in control. Sara and I realize now that parenting is merely one surprise after another. The experience has been sometimes scary, but we thank God everyday for Thomas and our life together.

Lent is a season of preparation. As Christians we prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Easter. As early as the fourth and fifth centuries, Lent was the time when adult converts prepared for baptism. Catechumens would be examined to see if their preparations brought forth a repentant life. Today, Lent is a time for penance, sacrifice, and fasting. We plan, and we practice, and we prepare. However, our Lenten preparations must never conceal an attempt to be in control. When we deal with God, we quickly realize that we are never in charge. Our attempts to remove all mystery fail miserably. Instead, God teaches us gratitude as we rely upon him. Following the Christ to Calvary means a life of submission, sacrifice, and humility. This life also means finding victory in the surprise of an empty tomb.

Grace & Peace,
James