I Went to a Funeral Today.

Vrådal Kyrkje

I went to a funeral today.

The village church was full. People had travelled from afar, but many were from the village itself and wanted to pay their friend and neighbor respect by following him to the grave. He was a relative of mine, but I did not know him well. We found a place on the gallery. I looked at the people below. Some I knew, but most were strangers. The white casket was in the center and many bouquets of flowers were on display, both on it and around it.

A Christian funeral is a beautiful ceremony, full of hope for the life eternal. It speaks of faith and joy. It speaks to the ones who are left behind. They have still life choices before them. Our young priest told us about him who had died, and we got to know more about him. It was factual, but based on the information given him by the family. I liked the hymns that were picked out. Again, they spoke of the hope we have in Jesus, and of eternal life. There was also a small sermon. Forgive me, but I do not recall what it was about. I remember, though, that I was comforted. A lady played the trumpet: O Holy Night…

As the casket was carried out, we made our way down to join the crowd. The burial place was right outside the church. It was a family grave, and my great grand parents, great aunts and uncles were buried there. His name will be added to the others.

Family grave

I stood among a group of strangers, singing a last psalm. I felt a strong sense of belonging, because we were of the same family. We also shared a common tradition. We bury our dead by gathering for a church service, with a priest proclaiming the hope we have in the resurrection.

The casket was lowered into the earth. Last psalm was sung. It was time for greetings and for tears. The December wind chilled me. I looked at the people around me. Similar features betrayed their close relationship. Some looked like me. I introduced myself – as my mother’s youngest daughter. She was a cousin of the deceased. I represented her family. Smiles. Recollections. New acquaintances.

Tradition has strong bonds. Unwittingly I was carrying it on.

After this we went to commemorate the deceased at a local hotel, to eat and reminisce, make speeches and eat some more. And in doing so, we see each other. We create some new bonds, and celebrate our life connections.

One element stood out: A man with an accordion, a woman with a large cross around her neck and two sweet teenage girls sang  Nearer to Thee, My God in the local dialect. “A Christian witness among this crowd,” I thought, and was delighted!

Christmas; The Light of the World

I live in Norway, in the northern part of Europe. It is a place of frozen ground all winter, and we normally get snow on and off from November and December. Some years we have a white Christmas, sometimes we don’t.

            White Christmas naturally refers to the snow, but White-Christ is an old Norwegian term for Jesus Christ at the time of introducing Christianity to Norway. Here, the term ‘white’ has a deeper, more symbolic meaning: The Christ of light, goodness, truth, is the victorious one who wins by righteousness and gentleness – not by the bloody sword. There is a new sense of light of the world.

            Snow is white, and it brightens up the landscape in the dark winter months. Christmas rings in a festival of light, of hope, new beginnings. The mass is in celebration of the Christ child, the Messiah, the anointed one of God. When someone is anointed, it is for a task, for making a change.  Anointed with oil – thing has the meaning of being instituted into a role, to perform tasks of a ruler. Christ Jesus is our King, the righteous King, who reigns with truth and justice and mercy.

            We hear the story of the birth of Jesus every Christmas, and we pause and ponder the effect of His coming. This world is essentially different place because of it. We celebrate the incarnation of God in man at Christmas. The very fact that God himself created in Mary a child who is both God and man, in order to fully identify with someone like me is too fantastic to fathom.

Gari Melchers: The Nativity

A child is dependent on his parents, his family. A child is so vulnerable. God chose to come as a child, as ‘a babe in the manger’. I am a mother. I have had little boys as babies. I have seen them grow to be young men. Jesus grew up in an ordinary human setting – in politically unstable times in the Middle East, where there was abuse of power, tragedies on a human scale. There were some tendencies to revolt against the powers of occupation; there were radicals of a different kind: the ones who talked about the apocalypses. It was like sending his only Son into a land like Syria today…with its anarchy and conflicts. Anyway, Jesus was born by a teenage mother, not yet married, and on a journey to comply with the government’s demand for a consensus. With too many people travelling, there was no room for them in a proper lodging, so she gave birth in a stable, with the support of her betrothed, being warmed by animals. I know God did this deliberately – and you may wonder why he did not make it smoother for everyone involved...I guess we think ‘smooth’ is more blessed. Perhaps we are wrong.

God knows what he is doing; because of his entry as a man, he showed his true humanity in his death on the cross 33 years later. And he showed his God-nature in his destruction of the grip of death. He rose from the dead, and so shall we – in his strength. That is the bright and shining light of my hope. This is life eternal, for all who believe on the name of Jesus the Christ.

             

And I Shall Be Quiet.

In human interaction, we need space, and we need boundaries. I know it is right and healthy, but right now I am behind the fence. I miss the action and interaction on the playing field. Perhaps I did not play fair. Perhaps I did not heed the boundaries; for in the human interplay we give and take. I enjoy being in the sun, for it is warm and it gives light. I enjoy sitting in a shade, studying the reflections of light and colours, being quiet and content in the shadow of enchanting minds jousting with words and ideas. I like being in the proximity of scholars, having a cup of tea with the great minds of this world.

            Thinking of myself as an introvert, I realize I need the inspiration of others to engage, to dig deeper, to see questions rise from the inner soul and meet the day. I meet great minds in books, but the interaction becomes sort of stifled. I interact with a text. The text inspires me, but it does not respond to my reactions. And as always, I sit in solitude and cannot fully trust my own thoughts. Soon I stop looking into the books, and they lay on the desk closed and silent.

            In the dark nights of December, I have been comforted by the sign of the cross. "In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit". I live not only in mind, but just as much in feelings, senses, heart, and will. I sense the darkness blanketing around me; accompanied by a certain sadness. It is like I – in Heidegger’s terms – withdraw from the beauty of day and sink into the dark earth. You may pass me on your path, and never know my beauty, for it is hidden. 

            Thus, I shall be quiet and wait.

            

December Dreams

In the dark December night I wait for a bright and shining light.

I wait for the coming of our Lord: Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.

He came – as an unassuming, ordinary guy, lived among his people in the Middle East, many, many years ago. He had a mission, and he fulfilled it. His mission was to live a godly life, and then die…an undeserving death.

            But it did not end there. He was an ordinary man, but he was also God incarnate. And our God is no ordinary god; but the Creator of all things. Can we ever grow tired of hearing that God died for our sake? I stare at the options, and I shudder.

He was the King of Kings – and still is. How can I fathom it? I can gaze at him; I can come a little closer. I can be in his presence, and there, like a small bird huddling under his large wing, I can rest. The Lord God Almighty reigns.

And He will come again. This is my hope, my joy, my bright and shining light  - the Lord, Jesus Christ will come again, and this time he will let the whole world see and marvel at his strength and greatness, his power and his grace; for he is a righteous King.

Let us be ready, my friend, to come face to face with the One who was and is and forever will be: Jesus, The King eternal and our Saviour.

Anyone who comes to him, he will not turn away. He is truth and love, and his love is stronger than any evil force. Take heart, my friend. He is trustworthy. Eternity is in his hands. “ No one comes to the Father except through me”, he says. And all who come will know it.

UDI Repented: Congrats

Congratulations to the UDI! They revoked their edict, and let all religious symbols be where they have been: on the walls, on buildings, etc. It is encouraging to see that they were willing to step down, and not make this issue a power struggle.

UDIs oxymoron: “Verdi-nøytral” (Neutral Values)

UDI is a Norwegian Department of Foreign affairs, and they have given an ultimatum to Christian organizations offering desperately needed available space for housing of refugees and other migrants to purge the premises of Christian symbols, like the cross.

In their, I must believe, well meaning efforts to use space for public service, they fall into their own trap; there is no such thing as ‘neutral’ values.  To eliminate any reference to Christianity for people who have uprooted from their Muslim territories, is not neutral. It is anti-religious; it is based on ignorance. It is in a deeper sense discriminatory. They want to hinder the ones who come here to gain understanding and knowledge of the basic values, which has helped us create a good society.

But why, one may ask? I think it is due to fear of being intruding in on a personal sphere. It may be an area the decision makers in the UDI do not relate to personally and would rather keep on arms’ length. Most Norwegians take their Christian heritage for granted; it is quite ingrained in our general values.

If you press any of them about what ‘neutral values’ would mean, they would need to resort to general statements, which in essence reflect their Christian heritage in many cases. Try, if you please, to define  ‘neutral values’ – and I think you will find you either do not talk about values, or you must give up the concept of ‘neutrality’.