David Reynolds: The Holy Darkness

Sorry for being sentimental in this piece. But I’m sure you will give me a pass. After all, it is that time of the year when we look within ourselves and find our families. And we wrap our gifts with smiles. It’s Christmas.

Foolishly, some try to see more. They try to look inside the gift that was given to all of us. They try to unravel the great mystery of life. They try to explain the inexplicable.

It can’t be done. At least not by adults. We start down all sorts of theological paths and then we get confused and lose our way. We get lost because we are not children. We don’t accept simple, one word answers to the big question. However, children do. They accept Christmas. Continue reading “David Reynolds: The Holy Darkness” »

David Reynolds: Faith and Christmas

You can not separate the two. In a few days the Christian world will celebrate an event that took place 2,014 years ago. (Luke places the birth of Christ in 4 B.C.) That is more than two millennium, a long time to keep any celebration going.

How come? I believe that it is mainly a matter of faith. And that your faith is more important than someone else’s proof.

When Christians celebrate their most important holiday they are saying that something very special happened. That it was the start of something big. That it had to do with their belief in a Supreme Being. And they believe that how they view God should also determine how they view their own lives.

But let’s go back to this season’s centerpiece, the Christmas Story. Where is the proof that such a lovely tale took place? While I believe that God doesn’t mind a little honest doubting, it would be nice to know the facts. Would the birth of Christ hold up in a courtroom today when there are no witnesses? I doubt it.

And there are other questions for the jury. Does God exist? Is he the singular sensation? And if there is a God who rules the world with truth and grace, maybe we should get another ruler to do a better job? In other words, “What’s it all about, Alfie?”

The only answer I can come up with: I believe because I do not know. It’s a matter of faith.

Scientists have tried to take a stab at such questions, but with little luck. “How did the universe begin?” they want to know. Some conclude that there is no answer — that the question lies beyond the limits of human reasoning. Others believe there is an answer, but the answer depends not on reason, but on faith.

Isaac Newton proposed his laws of gravity, only to conclude that such a perfect universal design meant a perfect designer. Immanuel Kant took Newton’s thinking a step beyond. He said that we can not comprehend the universe as a whole. And therefore will never construct a valid argument for the designer, for God.

Most physicists go along with Kant. But not Stephen Hawking, who recently broke ranks suggesting that the laws of physics imply that there are limiting conditions in which a universe, or multiverses, come into being. Dr. Hawking’s conclusion: There is no single creator. Thus there is no need for a God, no need for a faith.

So where does that leave us? I’ve dug the hole. You fill it. But to help out I will leave you with three shovels in the form of three stories. The first two are true. They happened here. The third is everywhere.

About fifteen years ago at an after hours local church gathering, two of us were discussing the question of whether Jesus lived and whether he was the son of God. It became increasingly apparent that Hugh was getting a little heartburn from my reliance on faith. He told me in a stern voice, “Dave, that’s your whole problem. (He did not know of my other problems.) You rely on faith. You have no proof. I have just returned from a tour of the Holy Land. I have seen all the places mentioned in the Bible. I have proof!

My second story happened eight years ago when my future son-in-law was attempting to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage. He nervously said how much he loved Carolyn. That was the easy part. Then he got to his main concern. “You know, I’m Jewish. Does that cause you a problem?” I asked him a few questions about God, about believing in something beyond and beside himself. He supplied the right answers. I said, “No problem.” They have two lovely daughters. Enough said.

Our final story is fiction. However it contains the same universal truth found in the first two encounters. A group of scientists (one being Stephen Hawking) were proudly discussing the progress made by modern science to the point that God is no longer relevant, if he exists at all. God, of course, overheard the discussion and was intrigued. So he disguised himself and came down to Earth in human form to take part in the discussion. “You say that you are so advanced that you can create life from mere dirt and that God is not part of the equation?,” he asked of the scientists. “Yes!” they boasted. God asked how. One of the scientists proceeded to pick up a handful of dirt to start his experiment. God stared at him and said, “No, no, no! Get your own dirt.”

So this Christmas be careful whose dirt you are throwing around. Have a merry one!

Column by David Reynolds

David Reynolds: A Story for Christmas

This is a true story. It happened within the past year. Therefore it is not the Christmas Story. But it is about the spirit of Christmas. You may have heard it before. Nonetheless, it is worth a second look during this season of goodwill to all.

The story is from a commercial airline pilot. Our edited version, hopefully, does not distract from its simple message: People are good and when presented with a difficult situation they act accordingly. Here is the story:

A flight attendant came to the pilot and said, “We have HR on board.” (HR stands for Human Remains.) The pilot asked the flight attendant to have the escort board early. He wished to see him.

A young army sergeant entered the flight deck. The pilot asked about his soldier. “My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,” he said. (Military escorts speak of their fallen as if they are still alive.)

The pilot asked if there was anything he could do. The sarge politely said, “No.” They shook hands. The escort went to the back of the plane.

After takeoff, the pilot was told by a flight attendant, “I just found out that the family of the soldier we are carrying is on board. The father, mother, wife and two-year old daughter are escorting their son, husband and father home. And they are upset because they were not able to see the container before leaving.”

The flight was a connecting flight with a four hour lay over. The father asked if it was possible to view his son before his last leg home. The family wanted to witness the body being taken off the plane.

The pilot said he would try. He decided to bypass normal communications. He contacted his flight dispatcher directly. He forwarded the father’s request. The dispatcher said that he would get back to the pilot.

Two hours went by. No word from the ground. The pilot then asked for an update. The reply read: “Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you . . . Upon arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains, with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to a private area inside the terminal where the remains can be seen from a ramp. When the connecting flight arrives the family will again be escorted to the ramp to watch the remains being loaded. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family.”

The pilot thanked the ground crew. The message was printed out and given to the father.

After landing at the busy airport, the pilot was told by the ramp controller that all traffic was being held for his plane. Then the pilot realized that once the seat belt sign was turned off all passengers, as usual, would stand at once in their effort to disembark ASAP and thus delay the family.

So the pilot made arrangements to stop short of the gate. He made this announcement, ” Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a passenger on board who deserves your honor and respect. His name in Private ___, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private ___ is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Sergeant ___. Also on board are his father, mother, wife and daughter. Your flight crew is requesting all passengers remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.”

The plane slowly taxied to the gate and shutdown. The pilot noticed the flight attendants crying. Every passenger was seated. All waited for the family to exit. When the family got up to leave, a single passenger slowly started to clap. Then two. Moments later, more clapping. Then the entire plane. “God bless you . . . I’m sorry . . . Thank you,” and other kind words were quietly spoken to the family as they made their way down the aisle.

Later when the passengers left, they thanked the pilot. Tears were in many an eye.

That is our story for Christmas. Were you surprised at everyone’s reactions? Do you think that this was an unusual, an exceptional plane load of people? Or that it represents the norm, that any pilot, any flight dispatcher, any ramp controller, any airline passenger would have reacted in the same way?

I believe the latter. It was just another fanfare for the common man. Within each of us there is something deep inside that is good and kind. Most of the time it is well hidden. Let’s stop playing hide and seek. There is no need to confine your thoughts and your feelings. Let them out. All of them. Show the world, not just your doctor, that you have a pulse.

Column by David Reynolds