Yearly Archives: 2018

I love libraries.

They are somewhat sterile areas – protecting the treasure of units contained therein.  They are moving into an internet age, and yet house rare paper volumes.

I’ve been working on a research paper on Funerals.  I believe that the rites and custom of funeral practice give us a good insight into our current and future society. 

We tend to revere, or disregard, the body of the deceased. 

We dispose of the body in sanitary ways (according to government regulation).  We may have them buried, burned, chemically disintegrated, plasticized or used for anatomical study.  We may not have a specific location in which the remains are placed.  We may not visit gravesides.  We may not even care to make “death commemoration” an ongoing practice.

All of this is undergirded by your philosophy of life – and death. 

As a society turns more towards existentialism, secularism and individualism – an afterlife is disregarded.  A body is just another mass of cells comprising an animal mass.

Or is it? 

I love the writing of David Timms (I have mentioned that before on this blog).  We are currently reading through his Lenten devotional (2017) at home (Reflections through Romans – you can pick this up on US Amazon).

I’m also reading this year’s devotionals online.  Today he talked about our faith – and how we sometimes misread the story of Peter – where Jesus says, “Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt.”  Here are some of those thoughts – you can check them out at https://davidtimms.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/little-faith/

“Little faith” in the gospels is not a criticism but a commendation. Jesus told His disciples that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed (that’s very small) they could move mountains (Matthew 17:20) or uproot mulberry trees with a word (Luke 17:6). Little faith is not a bad thing; no faith is.

Indeed, Peter’s little faith saw him walk on water. The story is not so much about Peter’s failure — which is how we tend to read it — but of Christ’s grace, power, and responsiveness to faith of any size. Perhaps the tone of Jesus’ voice was not frustrated disappointment but gentle admiration.

I popped onto a marvelous piece of acappella music (https://www.facebook.com/Musicianary/videos/2022499804432042/) reading through Facebook.  As I am listening, I can hear the bass singing away, comfortably making a foundation for the other three parts. 

I moved my computer away from the speaker system that I use to give full-bodied sound for my listening pleasure.  I played the song again.  The small speakers could not take the extended vocal range.  I just heard a trio singing.

Much vocal music that we listen to today is only in the higher frequencies.  Trio parts are featured.  Seldom do you hear a good bass voice. 

Did the transition to three part harmony come because of poor speakers on computers, or . . . ??

The other week I heard a phrase. 

“His loving kindness endures forever.”

I grew up in the mid-1900’s memorizing the same phrase with the words, “His mercy endures forever.”

Two cultures met in the mid-1900’s.  The words that were emphasized by each culture reflect their differences.

1)  A guilt society plays to right and wrong.  Mercy is the antidote to a guilt society – pardon bestowed. 

2)  A shame society plays to society and unity.  Loving-kindness is the antidote in a shame society – honour bestowed.

You will notice with the 80 and 90 year olds that they talk of being lifted out of the pit of guilt. 

The legalism of their day and age is decried, deconstucted, and dismissed by them – they are not satisfied unless mercy is applied.

20 and 30 year olds honour the victim whose rights have been trampled – from sexual assault to harassment based on gender to . . .

The intervening decades between an older generation and a younger generation – while deconstructing the old rules – dismissed the old parameters around which we defined victimization.   The younger generation has taken on the noble task of redefining the rules – creating a new sense of society.  For the sake of the victims, they are not satisfied unless honour (loving kindness) is bestowed.

My question is – how were these new rules arrived at?  Are they any better than the old rules?  Who decides?