It’s almost that season of the year when we will begin to see the holiday movies on TV: “A Christmas Carol,” “A Christmas Story,” “The Santa Clause,” “Miracle On 34th Street,” “White Christmas,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” One we can count on seeing numerous times in December is “It’s A Wonderful Life” with Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart.
The late Neal Maxwell (a university administrator and spiritual motivator) wrote: “We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.” Jesus said as much more than once: “What do ye more than others?” “Take up your cross and follow me.” “This is my commandment, that you love one another.” As the old adage puts it: “Thanksgiving is an action word.”
In the New Testament book of James (who some scholars think was the brother of Jesus), we read the words: “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Good gifts we can imagine: good friends, good food, good health, good weather... But “perfect” gifts? What on earth is that about?
The first chapter of the first book in the Bible tells the story of Creation. The author wrote a lovely narrative about his ideas of an all-powerful God who decided to make a world, to fill it with every kind of living thing, and finally to populate it with creatures designed in the image of the Divine. Step by step, after each new thing is added (water, earth, shrubs and trees, birds of the air, fish of the sea, beasts of the field, and human beings) God says, “It is good.”
Marble's Senior Minister, Dr. Michael Brown's dynamic leadership inspires many with his message of simple faith, using humor and anecdotes to describe a philosophy of life assured to bring meaning, joy, and hope to those who practice it.