Every Christmas season I sit down to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol among other lesser holiday movies. There’s one scene especially burned in my brain: A small, homeless, Christmas-caroling bunny stops by Ebenezer Scrooge’s office in hopes of scoring a charitable donation from Scrooge. (He obviously doesn’t know who he’s dealing with). Scrooge throws him into a snowbank and tosses a wreath at him when he’s down. It’s a moving scene. But the Christmas carol that bunny chooses to sing at Scrooge’s doorstep is forever ingrained in my memory. “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen / When the snow lay ’round about, deep and crisp and even / Brightly shone the moon that night…” That’s the point the bunny gets manhandled. Long story medium-long, I remember those words, but I have no idea what the rest of the song is about, who in the world this King Wenceslas is, or what he did that made him good. So I did a little digging. Continue reading “The Murder of Good King Wenceslas”
Tag: Christianity
I Pledge Allegiance to the Christian Flag
It’s there, awkwardly displayed/abandoned in the corner of the sanctuary—the Christian Flag. It’s a subject of debate among some, pride among others, and confusion among most. Why do we have it? When was it created? What does it represent? Continue reading “I Pledge Allegiance to the Christian Flag”
Remembering Jim Henson (1936—1990)
Today would be Jim Henson’s 82nd birthday. The beloved puppeteer changed the face of entertainment with his worldwide phenomenons like the Muppets and Sesame Street. He abounded in creativity and innovation, and was genuinely a kind and compassionate man. He once said,
“I’ve never felt any sense of competition with anybody, and we’re all friends; we’re all good friends.”
Hollywood needs more men like Jim Henson.
He was a force for change and he spent his time time between the dash trying to make this world a better place. Although he was not a professing Christian (he grew up in the Christian Science religion but walked away from faith in his 20s), he exhibited many of the characteristics that the Bible upholds: love, encouragement, kindness, gentleness, and peace. Even his most beloved characters—Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, and Yoda—are portraits of innocence and purity from a bygone era. Continue reading “Remembering Jim Henson (1936—1990)”
Yom Kippur
Tonight at sundown begins the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. For twenty-four hours Jews will fast and pray as the high holiday season (that began with Rosh Hashanah) comes to an end. Synagogue numbers will soar as many Jews attend for the first and only time of the year (think Christmas and Easter for many Christians). Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Continue reading “Yom Kippur”
The Dash — Between 