Dear trekker,

Almost 60 years ago, the foremost military mentor to me during my army career, shared the following…“He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, he is a fool, shun him. He who knows not and knows he knows not, he is unlearned, teach him. He who knows not and knows not that he knows, he is asleep, awaken him. He who knows and knows that he knows, he is a leader, follow him!”

I have never forgotten this little bit of verse! And when I read a recent newspaper article about “the woke culture,” it readily came to my mind. What does it mean to be woke? Who is the awaker…interestingly, this almost poetic verse doesn’t say. Furthermore, you may say in the next breath, what does this have to do with Christmas? Well, the short answer is everything! Let me explain.

Every culture has to deal with the facts of life…and every person, likewise. Much of life is “handed” to us by preceding generations, ergo, our birth, e.g. We reluctantly accept some things and take others for granted; we discard others; we seek to preserve others. When we have enough “things“ we place value in, we do everything we can to retain them, and they emerge into a “culture” over time and space.

The late Francis Schaeffer, Christian author, theologian and philosopher wrote a book about 50 years ago entitled, How Should We Then Live, a challenge to the Christian world in light of the relativism of the day. Note trekker, relativism is poison to a culture, any culture. The essence of all cultures is to place value (and love) for certain things. If all is relative, you never know (really) what has value and what does not. In our country, as Americans have grappled with certain issues from the beginning of our history, each generation goes through this cycle… in times of war and peace, good economics and bad, civil strife and harmony…yes, in the whole gamut of human affairs, all people in a society must decide where they stand! What is the nature or genius of a culture? What are the narratives (history) that have formed the culture?

Enter 2020! COVID-19 will have an indelible imprint on our national and world culture… no doubt about it. Social scientists (and others) will be writing about it and analyzing its effects for years to come. Another phenomenon has exploded this year, perhaps as never before, entitled “the woke culture.” It has strains of the past, notably “black culture,” was cultivated during the Obama years, and is being exploited similarly by the “Black Lives Matter” movement in the country today. The woke culture appears to be the mantra of certain elements of society…i.e. if you are not “woke,” you don’t understand life in America! If you are “woke,” you are attentive to the real issues of our country today, which are social justice and racism. (And racism in the woke culture is apparently only a white problem effecting social injustice in the culture across the board.) Today, social and racial injustice slogans have been political weapons to be wielded with passion and prejudice across all lines of society. Supposedly, if you are not woke, you are the problem!  Woke is a word that describes a culture within a culture, for sure.

Again, what does this have to do with Christmas? Well, everything! “Woke“ is so important, so dominant today, that if you “don’t get it,” you are asleep, a white privileged American for which there appears utter disdain. Yet, none of this should apply to trekkers! Let me explain!

God took the initiative out of love for his unique creation, man, made in His image, to invade planet earth as a baby, born of a virgin, i.e. God the Holy Spirit was the father. He lived and died a horrible death at the hands of cruel men 2000 years ago, but three days later he rose from the grave, and a few weeks later ascended into the heavens, promising he would return soon (and anything in history is “soon” in eternity, trekker.)  These are facts every culture since 2000 years ago must deal with. Not religious facts only…facts of history, acknowledged in part by many secular scholars since they occurred. To not deal is to be asleep.

There is no mystic chord of history more magnetic to tie people together than the birth (Christmas), life, death, resurrection (Easter), ascension, and coming of the Holy Spirit on all believers in Jerusalem (Pentecost). (Read the Christmas story anew this Christmas, Matthew 1:18 to 2:12 and Luke 1:26 to 2:20). These facts of history prompt the question…what will we do about this historical figure Jesus? The heavens and facts of history are telling the story and glory of God. 

Thus…any culture built around any form of worship apart from the reverence and worship of Jesus, is asleep and eventually will be discarded in the trash bin of history, as nations have risen and waned for 2000 years. So the issue today is not to (intentionally) put down the woke culture per se. Any and every culture that doesn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah, not only to the Jewish people, but to all people throughout all time, is asleep to what could be, and is not the answer to every human issue. The world (people) is dead in trespasses and sin. Jesus is the answer! One either believes it, or refuses to face these gracious, loving facts.

So, Merry Christmas, trekker! Merry Christmas, troubled world!  This newsletter is no diatribe against  the woke culture! It simply is insufficient to construct and provide a framework for cultural success apart from Jesus as a cornerstone of history, as is any wannabe culture.

There are two major issues of man that Jesus addresses…guilt and forgiveness. All of us are born into sin…separated from God, the father of us all. We all try to do it (live life) “our way“ (Frank Sinatra, I Did It My Way!). Yet we fail. We feel (and are) guilty. How do we get into a state of being forgiven, for our guilt to be removed? Only Jesus can (and does) forgive sin. His death was for us…it was not a mistake, it was love initiated on God’s part. The twisted nature of man carried it out! Forgiveness becomes available for the asking and receiving by the guilty. Will we all as human beings receive forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ to erase our guilt? That is always the $64 question!

Will we all seek a relationship with Jesus this Christmas? I hope so. That is the message and hope of this and every Christmas celebration in history! Trekker, the world at-large is asleep to the only message that will save and provide a firm foundation for any culture. We must believe the promises available in Jesus, live out the Jesus life, and shout it from the mountain tops! And with Job, say loudly, “I know that my Redeemer lives!” Job 19:25.

Your awakened by Jesus, fellow trekker,

Jim Meredith