“FBI wiretaps snare governor.” The bold headline atop the morning paper is the sad chronicle of another political leader who has succumbed. Living across the lake from Chicago as we do, the story of the fallen governor of Illinois has obviously become the lead headline in all our news outlets. The paper carried portions of the expletive-deleted transcript of some of those wiretaps. And U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s reflection that Lincoln would be rolling in his grave is commentary enough.
Integrity. Leader. When those two words fail to align, the results are not only sad, they are tragic.
Interestingly enough, both words play out in that midnight narrative of the Bethlehem inn’s backyard cave, in the flickering light of the shepherds’ raised torch, where slumbers the infant form of the Eternal God. Question: why would the Sovereign of the universe, the Creator of its intelligent life forms and the Designer of its galactic habitats, reduce himself to an implanted seed in a teenage womb and be born in the stench and hovel of poverty? Answer: Leader, integrity.
It is enough to take your breath—this notion that the divine and supreme Leader of all was so moved, so driven by the integrity of his love that he was willing to assume both responsibility and penalty for his earth children’s dishonesty and rebellion. It would have been stunning enough had he sent a celestial ambassador to convey his concerns. But in utter transparency, the Leader came himself, “to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss” (Desire of Ages 49).
The integrity of leadership, the risk of love—how dramatically opposite that headline long ago with the one today. But in that very antithesis is the hope our own guilty hearts can cling to. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (I Timothy 1:15 TNIV). No wonder we sing with the angels at Christmas!
In this season of “peace on earth,” you wouldn’t think so—shopping at Wal Mart or living in Mumbai. In one of those strange twists of coincidence both stories ran over “Black Friday” last weekend (that notorious day-after-Thanksgiving shopping nightmare). At the Wal Mart on Long Island frenzied Christmas shoppers broke down the door and trampled a Wal Mart employee to death as they rushed in to purchase their list-topping gifts for loved ones—nevermind that nobody stopped to love the one who was on the ground fighting for his last breath. Nobody stopped to help either. So much for capitalism’s ballyhooed evolution toward economic freedom and sanity, both of which were stunningly absent amongst those early morning shoppers last week. Also playing non-stop on the same 24-hour cable news outlets, of course, was the tragedy of Mumbai (the picturesque Bombay I have twice visited). And while the kinship between India and America has forged new empathies, the somber reality is that terrorism has now become such a planetary staple no surprise remains the world-over for its latest visitations. Two thousand years ago above a benighted Bethlehem field, that angelic Christmas choir proclaimed in surround-sound glory the hope of the Newborn in yonder manger: “‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors’” (Luke 2:14 NRSV). Surely the “God in the highest heaven” favors his earth children, doesn’t he? Then what will it take for that “peace on earth” to become more than a prayer on earth? Perhaps it will take the quiet choice not to live out the Wal Mart Christmas frenzy that lurks in us all. Perhaps with an economy tanking faster than the headlines, this is the Christmas we can choose not to reward our credit card companies with the usual pro forma and obligatory gift exchanges. What would happen if this year we chose instead to give the gift of “peace on earth”—and volunteer our services at a soup kitchen, or donate last year’s hardly used Christmas gifts to the Goodwill center nearby, or invite a lonely or needy family home for dinner, or make private peace overtures to one we’ve kept on our “enemies list,” or seek to forge a new year friendship with someone of another faith or no faith at all? (Still not sure? Then check out 
Nathaniel Philbrick, in Mayflower, his acclaimed history of the Pilgrims, recounts how William Bradford, the intrepid leader of that courageous band of Puritans, years later described “that first morning in America.” Recalling with wonder their landing on the salty, windswept shores of Cape Cod Bay on November 15, 1620, Bradford wrote: “But here I cannot stay and make a pause and stand half amazed at this poor people’s present condition. . . . [T]hey had now no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their weatherbeaten bodies; no houses or much less towns to repair to, to seek for succor. What could sustain them but the spirit of God and His Grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: ‘Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity’” (46). His words are appropriate, not only because we celebrate the nearly four century tradition of the Pilgrims’ thanksgiving this week. But in Bradford’s description—“they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity”—perhaps we also hear the faint hint of a day of adversity yet coming upon this land of the Pilgrims. Could the breath-taking speed with which this nation’s hourly economic headlines are unfolding or unraveling these last few weeks be a portent of what is yet to come? Could this land of the free have already seen her best days? Scribbled on the page of Revelation 13 in my Bible are these words written a century ago: “The Lord has done more for the United States than for any other country upon which the sun shines” (Ms 17, 1906). Hardly a prideful claim of superiority or grounds for national arrogance, this quiet observation simply declares a common truth that this country has enjoyed the uncommon blessings of Providence. And in the sunlight how easy is the spirit of thanksgiving. But should the days turn dark and the supernal blessings wither away, what shall we be grateful for then? A year after their landing, the Pilgrims gathered for that first thanksgiving—half of their band already buried beneath the Massachusetts sod. Yet they gave thanks to God. And so must we. No matter the uncertain voyage that spreads before us, nationally or personally. The Almighty is still that. And in the darkest storm his mercy will yet triumph. Just look at Calvary. “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).
What’s a Michigan Thanksgiving? Just ask the chief executives of the Big Three auto makers, who with hat in hand this week begged Congress for $25 billion of bailout loans. While it’s hard to sympathize with 8-figure compensated corporate executives, the plight of 175,000 Michigan auto industry workers is concerning. If GM, Ford or Chrysler were to go bankrupt, siren voices are predicting “a nuclear winter” and “an economic tsunami” for our home state. Who knows? A chart in the South Bend Tribune on Wednesday shows a cluster of 29 auto industry facilities right here in Berrien County that would be affected. Michigan already owns the dubious distinction of leading the nation for two years in unemployment, and we are among the top ten states for home foreclosures. For what then shall we be grateful this season of thanksgiving? “I complained I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” Even in this season of troubling economic downturn, our lists of reasons to be thankful are indeed still long, are they not? No wonder the apostle, whose meager life belongings consisted of a change of clothing, a walking staff and a pair of sandals, could pen the admonition: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:13). “In everything”? In everything. For apparently there is no downturn that God cannot upturn for the good of his friends (see Romans 8:28). Which is why a grateful soul is such a contagious witness. For God. In Michigan. And to the ends of the earth.
We have lost a gifted leader and a dear friend. The death of Jere Patzer, 61, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Pacific Northwest, is not only the death of a personal friend—I’ve known Jere for thirty years since ministry days together in Oregon. But it is also the loss of an uncommonly gifted church administrator in our community of faith. Jere’s passion for God and his church, his energetic vision and buoyant leadership style, his personal commitment to mission lived out in his own evangelistic preaching on nearly every continent (all the while serving as an administrator), his loving devotion to family (his wife Sue and sons Darin and Troy and daughter Carissa and their four young grandchildren) and friends—it isn’t hyperbole to recognize that men like Jere are a rare gift. And I shall miss him.
Makes you wonder—what if God had to run for office? If he were on the ballots of this nation next week, how do you suppose he’d fare? Perhaps the question isn’t so preposterous, given all the national polling about belief in God. In fact this year the Pew Foundation released one of the largest surveys of Americans’ religious beliefs ever conducted (36,000 adult respondents). Be prepared to be surprised! According to their findings, 92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit. While the inclusion of “universal spirit” as an optional response to the polling question no doubt raised the figure somewhat, nevertheless that number is astounding! Given the media’s reporting and Hollywood’s imitating, one would have thought we were a country of unbelievers through and through. Not so. But here’s an even more startling number. According to this Pew Forum Survey on Religion in America, one out of five who call themselves atheists are included in those believers! I.e., 21% of those who call themselves atheists believe in God or a universal spirit, “and more than half of those who call themselves agnostics expressed a similar conviction.” What is more, more than half of those surveyed report that they pray to God at least once a day. And about a third of the people surveyed reported that “they receive answers to their prayer requests at least once a month and say they have experienced or witnessed a divine healing of an illness or injury.” Furthermore, given this election season, the Pew survey also discovered that irrespective of your religion the more you pray the more politically conservative you are. Go figure! (See 
Am I the only one amazed by what appears to be the stunning speed of this economic meltdown? It seems like years ago that we were collectively mourning the collapse of investment firm Bear Stearns—when in fact only seven months have passed since March 17, 2008. True, the home mortgage and foreclosure crisis was already under full steam in the summer of ’07, but in a post-Bear-Stearns world the dire headlines have exponentially accelerated! And in the unraveling process, we have witnessed an historic immersion and injection by not only our own government, but the governments of the world, into the marketplace of banking, investment and consumerism. And yet all the economic masters, wizards and talking heads notwithstanding, the national and global financial predicament only grows more dire. For every voice that whistles the cheery note that “this too shall pass,” there is a growing and anxious chorus of analysts that warns the worst is yet to come. So who’s right? And aren’t we better off simply going about our quiet, citizenly, Christian ways, letting the finance barons, economic professors and Wall Street moguls negotiate with the nation’s and world’s politicians for the eventual “fix” that will surely come? A century ago there was a little lady whose predictions at the time now seem amazingly prescient today. According to her, the exploding headlines that presage the return of Christ will be stunning in their speed. “Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones” (9T 11). Would the overnight blitzing of our unfolding headlines of late qualify for “rapid ones?” Apparently, societal change in the closing chapter of earth’s history will be marked by its rapid flux. But what is even more startling is her observation two pages later of the economic conundrum that will face earth’s governments just before Christ returns. “There are not many, even among educators [read: economics professors like Paul Krugman, this year’s Nobel laureate for economics, who himself is unable to prescribe a “saving” economic response to this crisis] and statesmen [read: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, President George Bush, senators Barack Obama, John McCain, et al], who comprehend the causes that underlie the present state of society. Those who hold the reins of government are not able to solve the problem[s] . . . They are struggling in vain to place business operations on a more secure basis” (13). “In vain” seems to be the subplot these days, doesn’t it? So how then shall we live, we who believe we are approaching the eve of Christ’s return? Business as usual? How dare we! What we expect of our government leaders we must demand of ourselves—steadfast vigilance and thoughtful, bold action. For the community of faith that means seizing the paradigm-shifting opportunities that this present crisis is providing to share the everlasting gospel of hope with those around us who despair the future. The return of Christ is the greatest hope this race has been given—energetically sharing that hope is the greatest mission this church has been entrusted. Given the accelerating speed of our headlines, surely we agree that this is the greatest opportunity of our lifetime to share the truth of Jesus with our world! “We must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4 TNIV).
Has Wall Street become a four-letter word? The headline for Jeff Cox’s report on CNBC’s home page earlier this week caught my eye: “As Bailout Looms, Fear is Market’s Biggest Problem.” His piece opened with these words: “The government rescue plan may help cure some of the ills that are afflicting the banking industry, but it’s unlikely to remedy Wall Street’s greatest malady right now: fear. . . . ‘People are confused and they are scared. Baby boomers are remembering what their parents told them about the Depression and they’re afraid they’ll be next,’ says Kathy Boyle, president of Chapin Hill Advisors in New York. ‘Everybody’s worried about their money, everybody’s worried about their future, everybody’s worried about whether their retirement is safe.’” (