THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 23, 1995 TAG: 9512220065
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Issues of Faith
SOURCE: Betsy Wright
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
LAST WEEK'S ISSUE OF FAITH: The meaning of Christmas. I told how having a 7-month-old daughter, combined with it being the Christmas season, had stuck me with a double spiritual whammy. Now, more than ever, I am struck by the awesome wonder that Almighty God would chose to humble himself by becoming a helpless, innocent baby.
I also wrote about the humanity of Jesus, and how this is the thing that binds Christians and Jews, while it is the divinity of Christ that separates the two great faiths.
This Week's Reader Responses:
From Sarah H. Drake of Virginia Beach: ``While reading your (column last week), it all came together for me. Thanks. God is in `his' creation, not apart, built into the fabric of all things, even humankind. I don't know whose words these are, but I like them: `Jesus was a child consecrated before his birth to a prophetic mission by the wish of his mother.' ''
From Doug Stewart, radio personality from WPMH 1010AM radio in Chesapeake: ``You need to check out Beth Messiah Synagogue . . . that meets in Landstown Community Church in Virginia Beach.
``When I'm around Messianic Jews, it's like being in a constant state of being awe-struck, combining the Majesty and Holiness of Y(A)HW(E)H (sic) with the love of Jesus (Yeshua, Ha Machiach), Jesus the Messiah. When we become followers of Jesus as the Messiah, we become children of Abraham, adopted into the family, a branch integrated into the `fig tree,' which is Israel.
``Take the time to learn more about the Jewishness of your Christian faith and walk, and God will share more with you about His Power and Glory. . . . ''
From Richard Stockton of Virginia Beach: ``Jesus became accessible and his job was to show people that humankind has access to God himself, not just through faith but through living the life of Jesus Christ, through living his ideals. Living his being is the only way to get to the life Jesus describes as being one with the Lord.''
From Sue Page Knapp of Norfolk: ``The thing I admire most about your faith is your ability to see the same God in all religions. True Christianity is this acceptance of everyone for who they are and whatever God they believe in. I feel that we are about to enter a new age, or millennium if you will, of greater love and respect for each other and that we will all truly begin to live the message that Jesus taught.''
From Gregory Patterson of Virginia Beach: ``Bravo. I would guess you will receive a lot of angry mail about your statements regarding the very human birth of Jesus. I, however, agree with you wholeheartedly. God sent his son to Earth as a man, to be born as a man, with all the pain involved, and eventually, to die as a man, with all the pain of our sins on his bruised and battered shoulders. I believe that God really wants us to understand and appreciate the incredible sacrifice Jesus made, a life of pain and difficulty.''
From Ted Wolf of Virginia Beach: ``You can't be serious! You said `The Creator walked in Eden with Adam and Eve.' Does this mean that you believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible?
``Carbon dating shows that dinosaurs dominated the earth for 130 million years. Was this before or after God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?
``Do you believe that God stopped the sun for 24 hours just so Joshua would have time to kill every man, woman and child in Gideon before dark? That Jonah lived for three days inside the belly of a big fish? That Noah actually rounded up, housed and fed 10 million animals, birds and insects for 10 months during a flood that submerged Canaan under water 5 miles deep?''
From Janet Brinkley of Virginia Beach: ``Thank you for your article Saturday about Jews and Jesus. It's a wonderful interpretation for those like me who don't really understand the issue. It was a very peaceful and helpful way to pull it all together and to help others understand the differences while respecting those differences.''
From Pat Stultz in Norfolk: ``Your column was both a Christmas and a Hanukkah present for your readers. You describe the tie that binds Christians forever to God's chosen people, the Jews. In attending baby Jesus, we are able to touch God. God's love in recognizing our inadequacies does indeed illustrate his genius, and delivering our savior in a form we all call precious, that of a baby.'' by CNB