I took the picture accompanying this blog post on Kentucky Highway 119 between Pineville and Harlin. It is on the north side of the road and is hard to miss because it is surrounded on all sides by kudzu. I took the picture because of the apparent non-necessity of the sign that informs passers-by that the business is closed. Of course, the sign may just be of higher quality of materials than the building that supports it. But still, the contrast between the dilapidation of the structure is in stark contrast to the “closed” sign attached. The sign is just not necessary because it communicates the obvious.
(If you do not get this photo check the note at the end of this blog post.)
This “CLOSED” sign spawned several notions as I drove past on our way home to Tennessee. So much so that I turned the car around and went back to take the picture. That was a year and a half ago. Much of the original stimulus has long since dissipated. Before the rest are gone, I thought it would be good to put a thought or two into my digital memory.
The first idea is a little hard to write. Not because I don’t have the words but because I do not want to sound condescending to a population segment of our country. Having said that, eastern Kentucky is not a place known for its affluence. Life is hard for a high percentage of folks in that old coal-mining region. A smaller carbon footprint has come at a cost to those folks. That is just one of the ingredients of their circumstance.
As I got close to Pineville, it occurred to me that there were other “not needed” signs posted in our culture. The seemingly increasing intensity of anger, hostility and violence is like that crumbling building. No sign is necessary; our civilized culture has a big decay problem. The radical political views and opinions of what makes a robust free nation are in a state of dilapidation that needs no sign; something is wrong.
It seems there are three categories of folks around. One group chooses to just focus on their little aquarium. They seem to be saying, “I do not have a problem, so leave me alone.” A second is the activists who say, “I have the solution for the problem you are causing, and here is how you are going to fix it.” The third group is those folks who say, “There is a problem; how can I turn it into money, power, and influence for me?”
I am a theologian. I have degrees to prove it, but that is not what makes me a theologian. What makes me a theologian is that I think a lot about God. In particular, I reference all my theo-thought by the Bible. That does not hinder self-assessing all my theologizing as accurate; that is, what God Himself thinks. I can be wrong. In fact, I am sure I am wrong and just don’t know it yet. But I want to know!
Being wrong has never impeded my ability to give my opinion.
So here is my opinion. Humans have problems because humans are the problem. Humans will never have solutions for their problems because they, we, reason we can solve our own problems. Babies can’t change their own diapers, and humans cannot change their own nature.
What is apparent to me may not be so apparent to others. Humans will never get things right between each other. Our differences seem to be more divisive than our similarities are at assimilating… Humans will never leave their personal value systems until they have a unifying overarching value. Until humans value what their Creator values, they will never value each other. When humans find peace with their God, peace with each other will undoubtedly follow. And there is no peace without the transformation
that comes through Jesus Christ. I am not saying religious spirituality will unify humanity. I am declaring that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Emanuel, is the only unifying possibility.
No sign is necessary! Just look around. Study your history. We are CLOSED off from God. We need the Prince of Peace to take over our decision-making.
And that is what makes Christmas so unique. A brilliant notification that there is hope for humanity and humans. Progress with God is always accompanied by wisdom. There is no progress with God without genuine humility. God is great, and I am not.
Take the time to ponder through the New Testament book of James. Pay close attention to chapter 4. Below is a portion of verses 6-8.
Therefore, He says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (CSB)
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Baldwin Heirlooms 