I have very warm memories of Christmas past. As a child I wasn’t aware of my parents’ poverty. Dad pastored a small Saskatchewan church that provided little compensation. Our house was uninsulated with a dugout dirt basement. In winter we were always cold. And food was never plentiful. But I never heard complaints or poverty talk from Mom and Dad. Rather they chose to be upbeat and thankful. I would often overhear their prayers of praise to God.
Our humble church Christmas services impacted me deeply. Even as a preschooler I embraced the message of a baby in a manger who had come to bring us salvation. At five years of age I committed myself to him.
The carols, the skinny Christmas trees, the inexpensive gifts, but mostly the love in our home made the season “bright”. I loved it then and I love it now.

Blaise Pascal’s “Pensees” is a proven classic. Even though he died at an early age his wisdom far exceeded his years. In the introduction to his “Thoughts” he wrote,”Before we examine the evidence of the truth of Christianity, I need to point out an inconsistency of those who are careless about the truth. Yet it is vital to them, for it intimately affects their lives. Of all their miscalculations, this is what most blatantly shows up their blind folly. It is this: This present life is momentary, but the state of death is eternal. How terribly important it is, then, to live in the light of the eternal, since it ultimately affects all that we do or think!”

This truth struck me this week as an old friend told me he had just been diagnosed with cancer. All the dramas, stresses, and events of his past were suddenly eclipsed by the shadow of death. Our conversation was anything but small talk. We were gripped by the emergence of the far horizon.

Sooner or later we all will face our mortality. How important then that we “seize the day” and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to “the Giver of Life”.

I’m an inveterate reader. Always have been. My mom taught me phonics when I was four years old so I was already reading
“Dick and Jane” before grade one. I can’t get enough of good books. Usually I read four or five books at a time. Keeps my mind in gear.

One of those is a re-read: “The Mind on Fire”, an anthology of the writings of the profound French writer Blaise Pascal. In the introduction, Os Guinness writes,
“ Health has replaced both heaven and ethics. Athleticism is the new form of asceticism. Positive thinking is prized above reflection and meditation. Human experience with all its rich, tragic, and ironic complexities is scaled down to the glow of physical well-being. And self-knowledge and self-mastery are promised us through dieting and exercise…In short a sickness of our age is that we have fit bodies but flaccid minds and vacant souls.”

Guinness is an astute observer. Even though he wrote this before the social invasion of the internet and smart phone he was onto something. We humans have a tendency to flock, following the trends of our society uncritically.
Maybe this is why Jesus referred to us as “sheep”.

Pascal was a thinker. He appeals to me (and you?) because he kept his brain in gear. This doesn’t mean his deep faith in Christ was merely rational, but it does mean that his faith was informed by engaging his mind with the scriptures. I try to do the same. This is why the Bible is my most re-read book.