Unpop Culture

Hi, it’s Shannon again, Cap’s wife. Before you get too excited, the title does not refer to God striking Cap. This Christmas we both tried our hand at a little creative writing, though we took the challenge different ways. Last week, Cap wrote in dramatic monologue about Abraham’s experience with one of the first Christmas prophecies; I, on the other hand, wrote Elizabeth’s story like I imagined she would share it if she were giving her testimony in front of a modern church. For me, it provided a fresh breath of air into a story that can become so familiar. Hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas! ------------------------------------------ My husband and I both come from the high priestly line of Aaron, and we had lived our entire lives, before and after marriage, fearing the LORD and keeping His commandments. Though I knew the LORD was gracious, I often struggled with our circumstances. Israel was God’s chosen people, but our sin had brought about our c...

When we hear the well-worn tale of the Christ child, we can be tempted to greet it with a yawn. We know what Christmas is about, thank you very much. Well, Abraham didn’t. Here’s how I image he might have responded to the “good tidings of great joy” that he heard.* ---------------------------------------- After a long and harsh argument with my wife, I sought refuge in the solace of the desert night. Leaving our tent, I walked until home was a small fleck on the horizon behind me. As my anger subsided, my strides became slower and shorter. Finally I stopped. The moonlight cast harsh shadows on the ground, imitating the harsh way in which the moon had dealt with me in the past several years. You see, I grew up worshipping our moon god, whose name was Nanna. My hometown served as the location of the chief sanctuary dedicated to Nanna. The moon god played a central role in my upbringing; it was his name that I learned to worship on into adulthood. And when Sarai and I failed ...

When circumstances threaten my expectations of hope and well-being, it is easy to balk at the encouragement that “everything will turn out all right.” Or, to put it in the vernacular of hymnody, when “all around my soul gives way,” I can be quick to dismiss the notion that “it is well with my soul.” Last week is a case in point. A particular trial caused me to look to the future with anxiety and dread. Unsure of the outcome of my struggles, I found myself on a disorienting emotional rollercoaster. The peace and joy of my Christmas vacation time seemed to teeter on the precipice of destruction. But God showed me once again how able and willing He is to work on behalf of His children. He gave me grace to face the trial and then He graciously and speedily resolved the trial, leaving me basking in His merciful love. If it were possible for me to re-enter that trial with the knowledge of its resolution, I would probably have responded much better. But I don’t have that kind of foresight...