tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post1934552374738629365..comments2023-11-11T21:26:46.689+00:00Comments on This Side of Sunday: Bad Words II: "No Crying He Makes"Jon Couttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01728055140831842717noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post-55499781994683211902009-12-23T04:22:51.179+00:002009-12-23T04:22:51.179+00:00"we are exalting not the God revealed in Chri..."we are exalting not the God revealed in Christ but a false god of our own making"<br /><br />I always do that with my heroes. Suddenly I wake up and realize, "all these people I admire are just like me." Like I'm choosing my heroes because their values are close enough to mine that I don't have to change myself based on what I admire in them.<br /><br />Like, no wonder I don't admire vegetarians -THAT would be way too hard to emulate.<br /><br />This was a great post. You're constantly taking swipes at the sacred cows, which is great.<br /><br />On some level though, it's just a nice song. <br /><br />But yes, the Jesus in 'Away in a Manger' looks like he's 99% God and 1% man. It seems to me he's usually portrayed that way. When I used to hear that Jesus understood what I was going through, I often found that hard to believe. Christ's life, as it was generally described in Church, never seemed much like mine. His struggles always seemed like such pious struggles. His feet may have touched the earth, but only just barely.s$shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10332235497811000409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post-89305445743374130452009-12-22T15:41:20.282+00:002009-12-22T15:41:20.282+00:00i used to be the meaning, then the true meaning, n...i used to be the meaning, then the true meaning, now the true of the true. Next I think we go back to "meaning".<br /><br />I know what you mean about preaching through advent. nothing quite like having to figure out what to say, going to the word, thinking you know what you'll find, and having it speak on its own.Jon Couttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01728055140831842717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18173351.post-34994418965220344892009-12-21T22:06:48.797+00:002009-12-21T22:06:48.797+00:00amen. somehow, preaching through the christmas se...amen. somehow, preaching through the christmas season for the first time, I feel like I'm just starting to "understand" christmas for the first time this year. thanks for this post Jon. I hate that the phrase "true meaning of Christmas" itself has lost its meaning. (most people equate it w/ family, love or the kind of hollow peace you've described so well here). More and more I feel that the church desperately needs to discover the true meaning of the true meaning of christmas again.<br /><br />posts like this help.Dale Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09637764176091610845noreply@blogger.com