Vox Lucens

I tend to go about things backwards from time to time. For instance, you would think that if you have a big idea, you use eloquence to express that big idea. That would be the forward way of going about writing. Once in a while, though, in doing my writing, I’ll stumble on a big idea because I’m trying to be eloquent.

I did that the other day at work, writing my latest Weekly Reminder. In pondering what Christmas really means to believers worldwide, I said, “But the peace they know is eternal, a peace between God and man, the limitless void between sin and holiness bridged by a bloodstained cross.”

And I have been thinking about that ever since. It’s not that I haven’t thought about the incarnation before; it’s that I never tried to compare it to human suffering.

We cannot understand the incarnation because we have never known perfection. Even those of us living in the most free nation on earth have never come close–we live in a fallen world, surrounded by fallen people, always seeing evidence of the sin nature that enfolds us. The closest that I have come experiencing the incarnation is in traveling from the U.S. to the third world. It’s a poor example, but it is the essence of the matter. Going from freedom, comfort, and convenience to oppression and poverty is a tiny picture of going from Heaven to earth.

That Christ was willing to cross that incomprehensible gap is the essence of Christmas. But it doesn’t end there…

If Christmas were just about Christ bridging the earth/Heaven gap, it would ring hollow. It would be a miracle without a meaning. But this sacrifice is the source of salvation, in bridging the second gap, the gap between sin and holiness.

That is the void mankind faces. It is the void we cannot cross. It is the insurmountable gap that we must attempt to jump anyway, facing certain doom as we fall short of even seeing our target.

That gap, bridged by the bloodstained cross of a Christ who came from Heaven to earth, is why I celebrate this year.

Merry Christmas!

And the free airport WiFi that lets me blog about it on the road. Charlotte airport has just hit my “good list” for having free internet.

But I hate USAir. Never have I seen so much ineptitude in one place (actually, multiple places–in the airport, on the plane, and most especially in “customer service”). These writings are not borne of one experience, but a conglomeration, a combination of almost uniformly horrible experiences with the same company that purports to fly people; I have real trouble calling them an “airline.”

But I must admit that being able to sit in my seat and write scathing diatribes makes the flight much more enjoyable. This was tonight’s diatribe. I assure you that it is based on my actual travel experience, in much the same way that Hollywood makes moves that are based on a true story.

***

[To be recited in the driest of monotones.]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard USAir flight 2674 with service to Charlotte, if our navigation system works.

Our flight crew had a long day yesterday, and their union mandated rest, which caused your delay, has apparently done nothing to improve the quality of service that you will receive. As always, it is USAir policy only to hire the most persistent of imbeciles, so I hope that you will bear with us as we cut costs for your comfort.

The cabin is pressurized for your comfort. If you wish to ask the stewardess a question, we would be more than happy to increase the level of pressure in your area, causing your eardrums to experience a certain amount of discomfort until your head ultimately implodes, causing a merciful end to your enjoyment of this flight.

Because this flight is so short, there will be no food or beverage service. Not that you would enjoy the bag of stale pretzels anyway; just so you know. While our competitors all manage to overcome the short flight and serve you the beverage of your choice, we cannot afford both the fuel and the Pepsi, so we decided to go with the fuel.

There are six emergency exits on this plane. In the case of emergency, union requirements mandate that you allow the flight crew out first, so please keep your seatbelts firmly fastened, low and tight, and until either the emergency has passed, or you have.

During this flight, the captain may turn off the fasten seatbelt sign. Our regulations do require that you ignore this action and keep your seatbelt on. If you choose not to, please be advised that our stewardesses would be happy to forcibly show you to an emergency exit. They will even let you go first.

If you just can’t wait to have more time with us, sign up for our frequent flyer program. That way, all this time being miserable will earn you free miserable time later. On the latter, I of course refer to the time you will spend on the phone with one of the disaffected high school students in Manila who would be more than happy to explain how we can’t give you free travel.

On behalf of USAir and the airlines foolish enough to call us partners, enjoy your trip. USAir–taking FAA regulations to unprecedented new heights.

***

OK, OK, so it’s not all bad. I’m going home for Christmas!

Today I was sorting through the pictures from Sudan to go up on the Remember site, and I happened to notice a really cool phenomenon in one of my pictures–it was operating as a self-portrait. A picture of me taking the picture was reflected in the gorgeous deep eyes of the grinning girls in the picture. (For the hi-rez original click here.)

It reminded me of a project called “Shoot Me” I had noticed from the Epic Edits Weblog - and as I think I am the “aspiring hobbyist” that they reference I thought I would send my picture along. Here it is!

Which is to say, the power of words.

On Sunday I had the chance to share a trip update with my church family at CHBC, an opportunity which I greatly appreciated because I know they were praying for me while I was in Sudan. It was a privilege to let them know how their prayers were answered.

At the conclusion of the message, Pastor read from my last Weekly Reminder e-mail, which was the text that I first shared on this blog. The story was very meaningful and moving to me, and listening to my own story being read was a weird experience. It took me back to being there, sitting in that church, listening to the story of the Sudanese Church of Christ.

It was that transformation that started me thinking about the power of words. But it was only the beginning. It did not take long, or many people, to encourage me beyond belief simply by thanking me for sharing, and to answer my prayers by telling me that it had impacted their hearts.

But it was the words of a teenage girl that really made my day. She told me, with all the sincerity her teenage heart could muster reflected in her eyes, “I wish to tell you that I really appreciate you putting your life in danger for the widows over in Sudan. You made God happy by what you did.” And you know, in all the thinking I’ve done about all this, I had never thought of our work quite like that.

It was a reminder to me that sometimes the best gift that can be given–at Christmas time or any other–is the simplest. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make someone’s day.

In between midterms and finals, waaaaaaaay back in my first year of law school, I packed up my bags and headed down to my first “real” job. Ever since then I’ve been a full-time worker and a part-time student. I don’t think that I have taken more than a week of vacation at a time since then.

And now I am facing two months of being a part-time worker and full-time student, and it is a very weird feeling. And then, in February, I take the whole month off, and I can only imagine how weird that is going to feel.

Unfortunately, less work does not mean more sleep–or at least, it won’t, once I kick this bug–it just means more study.

Ah, Panera, faithful among friends, thy glory is no longer reserved for Saturday alone.

I was blessed with an 8-hour layover in Amsterdam, so I hopped the train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal and wandered around for a few hours. It was early in the morning, so the museums and such weren’t open, but it was very pleasant to simply wander around the city and watch it come to life in the morning.

Because it was overcast, it wasn’t the best day for pictures, but I did the best my limited skill allows…