All I Want for Christmas is a Kevlar Vest…

How come so many people want to shoot me? Am I not the most lovable guy known to those who have met me?

I was warned that in the data collection phase, there had been some incidents in Newbury that warranted sending in a new face. For about two months I traversed that township doing the review, visiting every home (almost like Santa Claus, but no presents, and I stayed far from the chimneys). Everyone I met was either friendly or neutral, with the exception of one fellow last week who firmly insisted that I had to leave his property (he was having a war with Zoning, and anything that looked like Official Business was unwelcome). That I could live with -- the aerial photos are good enough that you do NOT want to be sunbathing when the plane flies over!

Yesterday I finished Newbury. Today I started in on the south side of Bainbridge. Things were going smoothly. I pulled into one driveway on Pettibone Road, where the sign on the garage said, "If you can read this, you are in range." I've seen plenty of those. Most of the people who post that sign are friendly as long as you knock on the door. I had a pleasant chat with the lady who answered the door -- I had to get out because her house had a deck on the back that was not on the tax card sketch -- and then drove to the next driveway.

It was one of those houses like any other house. Piece of cake. There were, however, some strange signs posted on the house. Nothing threatening, but sort of nutty. I didn't need to leave the car. I jotted a few notes on the tax card, turned around, and drove to the next house.

I was about a half mile away, maybe a half hour later, when my phone rang. It was Nedra, at the office, abrupt and hurried, "When you get to such-and-such address on Pettibone Road, do not pull into the driveway."

"I've already been there."

She sounded worried. "Don't go back, not even to turn around or do any paperwork."

"I don't plan to go back. I don't need to go back."

"The owner called and said you were trespassing on his property. He said that if you pulled into his driveway again, he would shoot you."

"I didn't even see him. All I did was pull into the driveway, take some notes, turn around, and leave." (My practice is to get out and introduce myself if anyone appears at a window or door).

"Well, don't go back. He obviously saw the signs on the car, because he knew where to call."

An hour or so later I decided to drive to McDonalds for a cup of coffee. As I passed his house, the man was at the mailbox getting his mail. He gave me a strange look as I went by. Must have left his gun at the house.

Somehow guys like that worry me a little. The fellow in Parkman who tried to chase me off his neighbor's property, threatened to call the Sheriff, and told the Sheriff's dispatcher that he should have shot me, did not seem like a real threat. He was loud and visible, and obviously his threat was in the past tense -- "I should have…". Same thing for the old farmer in Huntsburg; it came out in the course of conversation, and I took it as a joke. Somebody who would hide inside a house threatening future action is a different flavor fruitcake.

I just hope nobody else with a black car pulls into his driveway to turn around.

Maybe I need a light bar to make the car more distinct. Low profile amber lights. That would be fun. As it is, people hit their brakes when they see me sitting in a driveway.

Come to think of it, some of the Sheriff's cruisers, like the one that pulled up behind me yesterday as I sat on the roadside shuffling paper (flashers ON!) and turned on his lights before he saw the side of the car, are small and look similar to my car -- but we do have different color signage (they have gold, I have red, white, and blue) on the sides. (Bainbridge police cruisers are bigger and have white signage).

And I think that Mr. Hospitality can expect a visit from one of those black cars sometime soon. if he hasn't had one already.

***FOOTNOTE***
I wrote this last Friday, and delayed publishing it because I was uncertain what follow-up actions had been taken. I've been told a police report was filed, so its a public record now. I've also been told that the incident report shows the irate caller had a limited vocabulary but no speech impediment with respect to the "ph" sound. Anyway, the pen is mightier than the sword, and I carry a 0.7 mm semi-automatic pencil …

"Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."

This morning Bro. Reini Webel took his text from Mark 2:1-12. As I listened, I was drawn to the fact that in almost every instance of Jesus' healing, a statement is made regarding the forgiveness of sins.

Let it be abundantly clear that I do not believe that illness is a punishment for sin, although it may be a consequence. There is a difference. Scripture informs us that the same event happens to both the just and the unjust.

We are told in the Gospel that the primary message of Jesus was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." That message is predicated on the concept that all men are sinners, falling short of the righteousness of God. It is therefore no surprise (although the connection may be / has been missed by the casual reader of the Gospels) that the underlying purpose of the healing ministry of Jesus was to reinforce the idea that He was capable of forgiving sins, and, ergo, that He was God incarnate.

The discourse reads, (6) "But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, (7) 'Why does this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?'"

This was precisely the teachable moment Jesus was seeking -- (8) "And immediately when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, He said unto them , 'Why reason ye these things in your hearts?' [Transliterated, "You're on the right track, there, Bubbas -- only God can forgive sins."] (9) 'Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?'" ["Talk is cheap, fellas. I'll put my money where my mouth is."]

(10) "'But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins,' ["Let me show you that not only are you correct about Who can forgive sins, but you must also believe the corollary … "] (He saith to the sick of the palsy,) (11) 'I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.'"

(12) "And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed [You betcha!], and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw it on this fashion.'" ["Did you see that, Clyde? He has us over a barrel now!"]

So, you ask, what is the link between healing and faith and sickness and sin? James gives us a clue [actually, much more than a clue ] when he writes, (5:14) "Is any sick [asthenia] among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (15) and the prayer of faith shall save [ sozo, not therapeuo] the sick [kamno] , and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (16) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

There is the nub of the problem. The sickness may not have been caused by sin, but sin is endemic to the human race. The passage in James does not refer specifically to an issue of disease (although most translators and their readers have preferred to view it that way) but could also broadly apply to any area of weakness, physical or spiritual. The emphasis is on acknowledgment of sin, confession, and repentance -- "for the Kingdom of God is at hand."

The application is as thorny today as it was twenty centuries ago, and even farther back. Jesus could have preached from 2 Chronicles 7:22-39 & 8:14 -- Solomon's plea -- that if his people would sin (he gets very specific about calamities which could cause the people to suspect that they were being punished for wrongdoing) and repent, that God would accept their prayer, maintain their cause, and grant them forgiveness -- is answered by the Lord,

"If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Unfortunately, in order to believe that forgiveness is available, that restoration to fellowship with God can be obtained, that we can be healed of whatever it is that troubles us, we must first also be willing to believe that we are in need of forgiveness.

In September 2001, the United States was already in deep trouble. Socially, morally, and economically, the nation was at a fork in the road. Then on the 11th of that month, disaster struck. The President called for a day of prayer. Unfortunately he did not call for a time of repentance.

Without doubt such an act would have been unpopular. In the common mind, people are essentially good, and when disaster strikes, the work of wicked men must be avenged. The Christian concept that all have sinned, without exception, and that it is by the grace of God that we exist -- the Divine Providence so wondrously regarded by the Founding Fathers -- has long been gone from the national conscience. A call to repentance would have been viewed by the larger part of the population (and even the rest of the world) as an admission that the World Trade Center attacks were in some way a consequence of sin.

That such a misconception could exist in the United States can be laid squarely upon those who call themselves Christians. Had the pastors and teachers in the churches been presenting the true Gospel, that ALL (without exception) have sinned, that Jesus paid with His own blood the price of our reconciliation with God, and that He continues to call all people to repentance from their sin, there might have been a willingness at the moment of need to confess the idolatry, disrespect for law, adultery, murder, theft, and covetousness that permeates our society.

Instead, there has been from the nation's pulpits tacit and even overt admiration for :

• the glorification of "heroes" of all stripes,
• the glorification of humanity instead of the glorification of the Creator,
• civil disobedience without an expectation of personal consequences,
• divorce and remarriage,
• homosexual activity and heterosexual promiscuity,
• abortion,
• condemnation of the innocent based on statistical constructs,
• authorities stealing from one group to give to another,
• admiration for business practices that harm the poor and ignorant,

and the list could go on.

It is not an accident that those who are opposed to God are also opposed to God's people boldly labeling behavior that is contrary to Scripture as sin. They are thus willing to persecute believers, whether by legal or illegal means. The Church has failed in its mission in America, and can only win back the high ground through bloody martyrdom -- believers surrendering their lives that others might live.

Revival in America will come when we crave the words, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."