“A Piece of My Mind”

December 2024 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

A Thanksgiving Prayer to God…

“You enter our time to supply our needs, but you reserve eternity for us. You inspire with the sheer beauty of creation. You entice with redemptive mercy. You promise rewards as payment.

“All the praises I can offer do not suffice. I thank your majesty for the abundance of your immeasurable goodness, and I ask that you would continue to multiply your grace in me.”

– Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Message of the Month”

Our Christmas “Call to Worship”

When I was a senior pastor I would select the hymn(s) to be sung in our worship services each Sunday. For sure, when the first Sunday of Advent came along (December 1 this year), I would have our services open with “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – a remarkable Christmas carol summoning all worshippers to join the beginning of a festive season of song.

We’re not sure who originally wrote “Adeste Fideles” (Latin name). It seems to come from the mid 18th century. We do know that “Adeste Fideles” was translated into English as “O Come All Ye Faithful” in 1841 by the English Catholic priest Frederick Oakeley. Thank you, Fred, for this great gift.

These three verses are probably the ones most commonly sung by Americans:

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

I’d like to focus on a theme from two verses—just who this Jesus is who has come to us in a manger?

Fourth Century Christianity was wracked by “The Arian Controversy.” Arius was a presbyter from Egypt. He argued that Jesus was not “co-eternal” with God the Father. Nor was he equal to the Father in essence. Jesus was “similar to” the Father (homoiousion), not of the same essence (“homoousion”). He indeed was “a god” created by God before all else and is subordinate to God.* Never would the presence or absence of a tiny “iota” [“i”] be so consequential! Think of that when someone says, “I don’t have a iota of interest in …”

* If you want to interact with a modern version of Arianism, just answer the doorbell some Saturday morning, and the two who will be on your porch (with others canvassing your neighborhood) will eagerly engage you in conversation!

Less obvious but more pernicious, much of modern professed Christendom has reduced the person of Jesus to that of a moralizing teacher.

Standing against Arius was Athanasius, a deacon of the church in Alexandria, Egypt. He argued that Jesus was of the same essence as the Father. Athanasius is properly regarded as “The Father of Trinitarianism” (One God— the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit).

The controversy became so great that Emperor Constantine, wanting to keep peace in the empire, called for a conference in Nicaea, a city in modern-day Turkey, to deal with the problem (325 AD). Note that the Roman Empire was now led for the first time by an emperor who professed Christianity. It’s no longer Nero’s empire! And just a few years earlier Diocletian had brought the last Roman persecution against Christians. It’s hard for us to imagine political leaders in America being so concerned about doctrine as to call for a council to settle a matter. I can’t picture Gavin Newsom caring in the least!

The Council of Nicaea endorsed the Athanasian understanding of Jesus’ eternal existence and divine nature. The “Nicene Creed” was finalized by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. It is even today confessed widely throughout Christianity, more than any other creed.

What does the Nicene Creed confess about Jesus [see John 1:1-5, 14, 18; Philippians 2:5-10; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 22:12]?

[We believe] in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance [homoousion] with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

When we read some phrases of “Adeste Fideles” the truths of the Nicene Creed shine through and are there for us to sing:

Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore him…

True God of True God,
Light from Light eternal
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father [or: Very God]; begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

With this great carol, let the praises of Christ this Advent season begin!

“80” on the 8th and Counting!
Some Help from Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is especially for all who reach 70 or 80 years of age. It sets God and humanity in very sharp contrast. God is eternal and we are but mortals.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
(Psalm 90:1-4 ESV)

And what if we reach the great milestones of 70 or 80?

The years of our life are seventy,
Or even by reason of strength eighty;
Yet their span is but toil and trouble;
They are soon gone, and we fly away.
(Psalm 90:10)

How should we then live, in light of God’s eternity and our mortality?

Teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
(Psalm 90:12)

To number our days is to treat each day as significant. We no longer have yesterday and tomorrow has not yet come (nor is it guaranteed). But we do have today.

“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Jesus (Matthew 6:34 ESV)

Shouldn’t we begin our morning with a brief prayer for God to direct our day? Then, as Martin Luther suggested, pray “The Lord’s Prayer” and go on our way rejoicing.

As we progress through the day, how can we bless others today? How can we make our world a better place today?

Not every day brings sunshine, but rain is what brings growth. Look at every situation as a new opportunity to flourish.

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength.” – The Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:12-13 NIV)

Is there a person who should be called or texted (no, call that person as your first option)? Does someone need our apology or prayer or word of thanks? Do we have a debt or obligation that should be cared for today?

As each day closes, have we confessed our “sins of this day” and received his grace and forgiveness? Have we thanked God for the day’s opportunities and blessings?

A New Day

This is the beginning a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is very important because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever,
leaving something in its place.
I have traded for it: I want it to be gain – not loss;
good – not evil; success – not failure,
in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.

California’s Great Seal depicts a grizzly bear, the state’s official animal. The bear is feasting on grape vines, representing California’s wine production. But 100 years ago – November, 1924 – The last sighting of a California grizzly bear was reported in Sequoia National Park.

Coming in January and throughout 2025 . . .

“The Ten Commandments”

Please join me and other readers as we take time each month to look at these Commandments. Whether one is a “believer” or not, can we agree that these commandments have had a remarkable influence for good on the world even up to the present?

Picture: Moses (holding tablets symbolizing The Ten Commandments) is at the apex of the East Pediment of the U.S. Supreme Court building. He is between the Chinese philosopher Confucius and the Greek lawgiver Solon, representing three of the great influences on American law. This depiction of Moses with other significant historical figures should be kept in mind any time debate occurs over public display of The Ten Commandments. Moses with The Ten Commandments is also depicted in the courtroom itself, amongst many lawgivers.

“Transgender Day of Remembrance”
(November 20) and
“Transgender Awareness Month” (November)
now recognized
by Long Beach, California.

The flag will fly each November.

So said a resolution passed unanimously by the Long Beach City Council on November 19. This day will be “a time to celebrate, honor, and stand up for our transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse friends…and to remember those members of our community who have been lost to anti-trans violence.”

Thus all citizens with another voice are stifled by non-scientific thinking that impacts minors through social media. All reasoned arguments and life experiences contrary to the prevailing narrative are passed over by those who should represent all city citizens.

Better listen to Democrat Adam Sieff, once a counsel to the Biden for President campaign: “Tolerance matters… If we want people to respect the existence of different gender identities, we need to respect the normal reservations about performing irreversible sex-change operations on 12-year olds.”

These are violent mutilations of minors! Reminds one of the sexual mutilation of young women in some 3rd World cultures. Where is the outrage? One can sympathize with certain trans issues without accepting transgender ideology as “gospel” and its activism as “good works.”

What other flags now ought to be flown to support a cause or belief and to remember any who have been persecuted, discriminated against, or have suffered or died over it? Surely a flag supporting victims of anti-Semitism would qualify, among many others.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don has been a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area since 1970. He has served as Pastor Emeritus of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (where he was senior pastor 1984-2012) and as Senior Chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department (2001-2024). He previously was an assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University (1976-84) and chaired the Social Concerns Committee in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches from 1985 to 2019.

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity magna cum laude from Grace Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary with a concentration in Christian ethics, and a Doctor of Ministry from American Baptist Seminary of the West (now Berkeley School of Theology) with a concentration on the Charismatic Movement. His law school studies included a course on the First Amendment.

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California after living 54 years in Long Beach.