QUARANTINE BLOG # 75

June 13, 2020

A comment on yesterday’s blog from Dr. J reminded me of one of my favorite jokes.

It is the story of an office romance, and although they don’t always have happy endings, this one does.  A mutual attraction between Marlena Lorraine and Ben broke out and developed into an enjoyable friendship.  All was well until Clear Leigh was hired and Ben cast his eye upon the new girl.  Because everyone knew about Ben and Lorraine, Ben could not pursue his new desire.  The one day Lorraine was transferred out of state and Ben broke into song: “I can see Clear Leigh now, Lorraine has gone.”

If you don’t like it, stop groaning and blame Dr. J (whose true identity I refuse to reveal).

**  Thirty-three years ago yesterday President Ronald Reagan gave one of the most important speeches of his presidency.  In West Berlin, on a stage directly in front of the Brandenburg Gate, President Reagan spoke directly to Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.  This clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Eg3gT_x-c&feature=youtu.be shows only 6 words of the speech, but the effect was dramatic and long lasting.

**  “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you.”  If you have ever watched a TV or movie police story, you have heard those words.  The Miranda decision, which made those words a legal part of every arrest – was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court 54 years ago today.

On March 2, 1963, an 18-year-old Phoenix woman told police that she had been abducted, driven to the desert and raped.  Police arrested Ernesto Miranda, and after interrogation produced a confession which the suspect later recanted.  Miranda’s court appointed defense attorney didn’t call any witnesses at the ensuing trial, and Miranda was convicted.  While he was in Arizona state prison, the American Civil Liberties Union took up his appeal, claiming that the confession was false and coerced.  The Supreme Court overturned the conviction, guaranteeing that each and every person must now be informed of his or her rights when in custody and about to be interrogated.

** Several weeks ago Carnival Cruise Line, announced that it was planning to restart cruises from 1 August.  However, in an interview  this week, the head of Carnival Cruise Line, Arnold Donald, said that the line will only set sail when “it will be no greater risk, or even lower risk, than other forms of social gathering.”  His statement came days after P&O Cruises announced that it had cancelled cruises until mid-October its and just before sister brand Cunard revealed it would be extending its suspension of sailings until November.

He said: “We’re not trying to predict when we’ll open up but we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to ... if people are in restaurants, hotels, airport terminals and subway stations, if a social gathering is happening, then it’s a condition for cruise.  But if we’re still in a state of highly constrained social gathering then it’s not the right situation.”

**   Two readers commented that John Wayne’s The Green Berets ranked among their favorites from the Duke, so let’s drop a nickle in the juke box and play the song with the same title. 

The Ballad of the Green Berets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kj9qv6rmG8 was one of the few popular songs of the Vietnam War years to cast the military in a positive light.  The song was written by then Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler, who was exactly what his name and uniform implied he was: a real-life, active-duty member of the United States Army Special Forces – the elite unit popularly known as the Green Berets. 

In early 1965, Sadler suffered a severe punji stick injury that brought a premature end to his tour of duty as a combat medic in Vietnam.  During his long hospitalization back in the United States, Sadler wrote and submitted it to music publishers.  The lyrics were written, in part, in honor of U.S. Army Specialist 5 James Gabriel, Jr., a Special Forces operator and the first native Hawaiian to die in Vietnam.

Sadler recorded the song himself in late 1965, first for distribution only within the military, and later for RCA when the original took off as an underground hit.  Within two weeks of its major-label release, The Ballad of the Green Berets had sold more than a million copies, going on to become Billboard magazine’s #1 single for all of 1966.

**  Today’s close is from a new book by Max Lucado – Jesus: The God Who Knows Your Name.

When our daughter Sara was four years old, she burst into the house carrying a water-filled baggie in which swam a wide-eyed burst of sunshine.  “Look what they gave us at the birthday party!” (Gee thanks.)  We dumped the pet into a fishbowl and gathered around to select a name.  Sebastian won.  He quickly became the star of the family.  We actually set the bowl on the dinner table so we could watch him swim while we ate.  The ultimate fish dinner.

But then we got bored.  Can’t fault Sebastian.  He did everything expected of a family fish.  He swam in circles and surfaced on cue to gobble fish food.  He never jumped out of the bowl into the sink or demanded a seat on the couch.  He spent his nights nestled amid a green plant.  Quiet.  Novel.  Contained.  Like Jesus?

The Jesus of many people is small enough to be contained in an aquarium that fits on the cabinet.  Package him up, and send him home with the kids.  Dump him in a bowl, and watch him swim.  He never causes trouble or demands attention.

Everyone wants a goldfish bowl of Jesus, right?  If you do, steer clear of the real Jesus Christ.  He brings a wild ride.  He comes at you like a fire hose – blasting, purging, cleansing.  He will not swim quietly.  He is more a force than a fixture, flushing away every last clod of doubt and death and infusing us with wonder and hope.

He changes everything.  Jesus does not promise to stop your snoring, turn your kids into valedictorians, or guarantee you will have the correct lottery number.  Jesus doesn’t make you sexy, skinny, or clever.  Jesus doesn’t change what you see in the mirror.  He changes how you see what you see.

He will not be silenced, packaged, or predicted.  He is the pastor who chased people out of church.  He is the prophet who had a soft spot for crooks and whores.  He is the king who washed the grime off the feet of his betrayer.  He turned a bread basket into a buffet and a dead friend into a living one.  And most of all, he transformed the tomb into a womb out of which life was born.  Your life.

Jesus: Five letters.  Six hours.  One cross.  Three nails.  We live because he does, hope because he works, and matter because he matters.  To be saved by grace is to be saved by him – not by an idea, doctrine, creed, or church membership, but by Jesus himself, who will sweep into heaven anyone who so much as gives him the nod.

Goldfish Jesus?  Not on your life!

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