What a great year this has been!
The evil terrorist group ISIS dominated the news when the year started, but they have been subdued, thanks in no small part to the efforts of valiant United States military forces and renewed leadership under Secretary of Defense James Mattis - great news.
Despite nearly a year of searching, former FBI Director Robert Mueller's investigation of our commander in chief has not yet turned up evidence of collusion with the Russians to influence last year's election. On the contrary, the investigation reveals other sinister attempts to apparently sabotage the election process. Anytime the truth comes out, it's great news.
Meanwhile, the headlines in our local business section reveal more great news: Middle-class tax cuts will follow the tax reform bill; stock markets are at all-time highs; new home starts and existing home sales are rising; and, our community anticipates more new businesses and job opportunities. That's great news for us and our children.
Yet, I'm not naive enough to think everyone shares my perceptions of the news. Many have concerns about our future that are as gloomy as mine are rosy. None of us has a crystal ball that gives us clear guidance in choosing effective courses for the future. Instead, in a free country we make choices based on our beliefs and our opportunities. Results are not guaranteed.
Two thousand years ago, in the tiny town of Bethlehem, people also faced choices. They could live in relative peace, practice their faith and pay high taxes under the heavy yoke of the powerful Roman Empire or, as some zealots desired, they could attempt to overthrow the mighty foreigners.
Within this polarity, there were players who took full advantage of their brothers' and sisters' dilemma. There were self-righteous religious leaders, corrupt tax collectors, shrewd politicians playing both sides and state bureaucrats climbing the political ladder hoping for more powerful positions. Then, there were the regular working people such as carpenters, shepherds and fishermen, just getting by.
In many respects, their society wasn't far removed from our own. As King Solomon pointed out in Ecclesiastes, 400 years before the Bethlehem story, generations live and die, but things change very little. He himself tried many ways to find happiness, but in the end, he concluded it was like "chasing after the wind." Solomon discovered that only by putting his faith in something far bigger than himself could he truly find happiness.
The citizens of Bethlehem, especially the powerful religious leaders, knew Ecclesiastes, but they were so consumed by their worldly concerns that they could not apply the principles to their lives. Since they wouldn't seek God, God sought them. Into the center of their world, he sent not just a representative, but his only son. Jesus wasn't born into wealth and privilege but came into the world as humbly as anyone ever has. The first folks to meet him weren't social and religious elites, but they were working stiffs. The boy grew up among common folk and only practiced his ministry three years before political bureaucrats, pious religious leaders and tyrannical authorities executed him. Yet his short life changed the world forever, and his influence is as powerful today as at anytime since.
Like people in Jesus' day, we still face choices: Will we choose the opportunity he offers to forgive our sins, to put our faith in something bigger than ourselves, to love as we want to be loved, and to seek the truth that offers true freedom? Or will we continue to put our faith in human leaders who let us down, in material possessions that grow old and wear out, or even in ourselves who perhaps end up disappointing us more than anyone? With the arrival of the humble baby in Bethlehem, God offers the world a real choice - and real freedom.
That's really good news. Merry Christmas.
Roger Smith, a local author, is a frequent contributor to the Times Free Press.