When I was a student at Belmont University, I belonged to and greatly benefited from the mentorship of Pastor Bob Norman, then the pastor of Belmont Heights Baptist Church. While I was in the Army, he moved to Texas to pastor. When he retired, he returned to the Nashville area, where we were able to renew our mentoring friendship. Pastor Bob is the most respected human outside family in my history.
One series of Sunday night sermons he delivered to us was based on the stories and rhymes of Mother Goose. The sermon series was transformative for me. His ability to pass the Mother Goose stories through the grid of the Gospel was exciting and fun. I have never been able to accept the fables at face value from that sermon series again. From a fresh perspective, they became windows to consider our human condition or plight.
One of the overarching changes in my thinking was birthed in that series, to seek and accept truth wherever it came to me. I learned it is not the paper or the ink that makes a letter meaningful to me but the message they convey, not just a truth, but Truth, Truth as displayed in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Truth is revealed all around us. Discovering that Truth, however, must be intentional. Our lower nature trains us to interpret what we see only with our first-impulse feelings. Add to that the human trait of building corrals to separate what we accept from what we reject, and discovering the deeper application for Truth becomes next to impossible. Peace, Divine Peace, becomes less than unlikely to find and enjoy.
As with most of my front porch swing ponderings, the beginning point gets lost in the pondering content. Or, the pond’s edge is hidden by the cattails produced in the effort of the pondering. Here is what entered my cognition:
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, “What a good boy am I!”
It is wise to remember these rhymes were developed over time, typically not written in an evening. They have a simplified story to tell of the complex social issues of their day. Their stores are more conjectures of modern scholars than research of historical facts. But the two are constantly interacting.
I do not mind conjecturing my observations on little Jack’s lines. I see a picture of many people who call themselves “Christians.” I also see the not-so-flattering assessment of the Church in our culture.
I also see the same ailment hidden in this little ditty of the political crisis our beloved nation is in because of this “Horner Folly.” This Horner Syndrome is the effort of people of a particular persuasion of Truth as their private possession. They steal away, isolating themselves in the corner with their cronies to protect their indefensible self-acclaimed “truth” position.
Jack is so proud of himself for swiping the pie for himself. What a fool to sit rejoicing in a place of self-isolation to enjoy a delicacy created for the family. What is even more diabolical is that he is proud of himself. “I have the pie! Therefore, I must be the most favored.”
I have looked at this rhyme from several angles. Oh, how easy it is to back ourselves into a defensive corner and consume our ill-gotten “Christmas” pie alone. We could consider why it is a “Christmas pie.”
Another point is who created this grace-filled pie. I think it was the woman who brought him into this world.
For whom was the pie made? Was it not an expression of love for her entire family?
What was the little mischievous devil thinking? Were his desires more important than his mother’s?
Could a few final and appropriate lines to the rhyme have been lost or missing? How about a line that
– expresses his dear mother’s disappointment in her selfish child?
– states the angry response of those who received no pie.
– describes the discipline Jack would have to endure as a consequence.
God did not send His only Son to make our lives better. He sent him to make “Life” better. Jesus Christ is not just your personal Savior. He is saving you from yourself. That’s why we must submit to His Lordship. When we blend the Gospel message to fit our self-indulgent beliefs, we make a grave error, forming doctoral or moral self-patronizing dogma. As followers of Jesus Christ, we ARE our Creator’s “Christmas Pie.” We do not possess the Gospel; we ARE the proof of the Gospel’s goodness.
Jack enjoyed the pie, but he missed the party!
Mark 4:30-32
“And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants and produces large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.” (CSB)
Photo – An old car in a field behind our home.
Baldwin Heirlooms 