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I've Been Thinking...

…about a little faith trivia. This past Wednesday, marked the 40th anniversary of the death of two influential giants of Christianity –Karl Barth, and Thomas Merton. Who are they and why should I care? you may well ask, since the core of our faith cannot ever be centered on dead Christian leaders. Still, I’m growing into an appreciation for those who have come before us, and who helped the power and joy of Christianity to stay fresh and true. So here goes… Karl Barth (pronounced bart –as in Simpson) was a Swiss-born pastor and theologian. In 1936 he was fired from a teaching position and thrown out of Germany for refusing to swear allegiance to Adolf Hitler. As he viewed Europe during WWI, and then the rise of Nazism, Barth came to see that humans are tempted to believe in themselves and trust in their own wisdom, power and ongoing progress.
Barth denounced this as arrogance and declared that greatness exists only in the awesome God who came in Jesus Christ. His writings are deep, profound and fill entire bookshelves; still, in 1962 when asked to summarize all he’d learned and taught, Barth smiled and said, “It’s all in a little song my mother sang to me –“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” Thomas Merton died accidentally at age 53 on the same day that Barth died of old age (82). Merton was a monk who, for 25 years lived as a hermit, in solitude and prayer at an Abbey in Kentucky. He wrote about restless souls, and how closeness to God brings peace to the spirit. Several of his books are in our church library and my spiritual life was enriched by “Contemplative Prayer” and ‘New Seeds of Contemplation”. Curious for more? ‘Google’ these giants of the faith –or ask me.
Grace and peace to you in this season of our Lord’s birth… ORVILLE

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