Christianity means many things to many people.

But one Biblical theme stands out above all others...'Love'.

This morning, as I was approaching Safeways, I almost collided with a 'chick' in bare feet, tight short skirt..and loads of makeup. As I collected myself, I noticed another girl with her from the same car. She was similarly dressed, and they both had a rather 'hardened' aura about them. Quite possibly they came from one of the 2 local brothels.. who knows. Anyway, the other one, looked at me, and then said "Hello sir.. merry Christmas"... and I gave her a friendly wave. But as I went into Safeways, I realized I'd missed an opportunity to show Christs love to unloved people..(as they seemed to me) I wanted to go back and embrace the girl.. tenderly, and say "Christmas is really about love" with a hug.

Perhaps we should remind ourselves of the central core of the faith.

For God...so Loved....that He Gave....John3:16

<<If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.>>

Paul concludes: "Faith, Hope and Love remain, but the greatest of these, is love" (1Cor14)

Life is short. The last time I saw 'Ralph' was in the arms of an asian hooker, in a bed in Penang in 67.

Today I received this email:

<<Apparently Ralph took the dog for a walk last Wednesday evening and had a heart attack while he was out.>>

Christ-mas... a time for reflection.

Boaz, you are a funny sausage. Merry Christmas to you too and sorry about your saucy old chum.

Perhaps, in the spirit of Christmas, I could ask you to remember that love - and grace and morality and generosity and forgiveness - are not restricted to Christians. These qualities, and our very human need to try to live well, exist in all people. You can say that atheism leads to a moral vacuum till the cows come home, but we are still out there, volunteering, giving to charity, helping our neighbours and generally trying to do the right thing.

Could you extend us the generosity of clarity at Christmas?

Many secular blessings to you.

Yup what the world needs more of is love sweet love.

Centuries before christianity, Buddha taught the following to his son Rahula (from "Old path white clouds" by Thich Nhat Hahn):

"Rahula, practice loving kindness to overcome anger. Loving kindness has the capacity to bring happiness to others without demanding anything in return.

Practice compassion to overcome cruelty. Compassion has the capacity to remove the suffering of others without expecting anything in return.

Practice sympathetic joy to overcome hatred. Sympathetic joy arises when one rejoices over the happiness of others and wishes others well-being and success.

Practice non-attachment to overcome prejudice. Non-attachment is the way of looking at all things openly and equally. This is because that is. Myself and others are not separate. Do not reject one thing only to chase after another.

I call these the four immeasurables. Practice them and you will become a refreshing source of vitality and happiness for others."

I find the pragamtic philosophy of Buddhism worthwhile AND you're not expected to worship some bloke in the sky either...

Hi Botheration and Johnny
well it's always interesting what a thread like this brings out :)

B'n... all that you say is totally true. Secular or atheist folks can and do.. do all that and more.. look for example at Fred Hollows.

I didn't really raise this thread as a platform for my usual 'foundation for values' rants :), but truly that we might actually reflect on the true 'Christ'-mass message. There are many occasions which we can remember various parts of life, or have our many and varied views of religion supported or challenged.

Johnny.. on Buddha.. no argument that those things are quite reasonable.. they they even 'work'... perhaps you could benefit from seeing where that kind of thing fits into the Christian perspective by reading this link to 'Romans 2:12-16 it makes interesting reading.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=2&version=31

But the huge immeasurable difference between say Buddhism and faith in Christ, should be blatantly obvious to the casual observer.
Buddha died.. and stayed dead. He proclaimed no eternal hope, but more of a 'cycle' ...not quite sure what to make of it sometimes. Theravada buddhism and Zen are quite different, some is more like pure atheist philosophy/psychology and sometimes its like a kind of religion...

But.. the source of unutterable Joy for the Christian..the believer in Christ, is expressed so wonderfully in the hymn...

I serve a risen Savior,

He's in the world today;

I know that he is living,

whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy,

I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him

He's always near.



(2) He lives, He lives,

Christ Jesus lives today!

he walks with me and talks with me

along life's narrow way.

He lives, He lives,

salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives?

He lives within my heart.

Please all have a look at this link
http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/helives.htm
Its the background (and full lyrics) to that hymn.

"Love is giving, not taking, mending, not breaking, trusting, believing, never deceiving, patiently bearing and faithfully sharing,
each joy, every sorrow, today and tomorrow.

Love is kind, understanding, but never demanding. Love is constant, prevailing, its strength never failing. A promise once spoken for all time unbroken, Love's time is forever."

or put another way:

"From this day forward,
You shall not walk alone.
My heart will be your shelter,
And my arms will be your home."

A Very Happy and Joyous Festive Season to Everyone and May the New Year be A Good One!

I agree that Boazy is a "funny sausage". Despite myself, I have a strange affection for him. Go figure.

Anyway, in the gist of the thread, who can beat this:

"Love, love, love.
Love, love, love.
Love, love, love.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.

Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

Nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

All you need is love (all together, now!)
All you need is love. (everybody!)
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need (love is all you need).

Yee-hai!
Oh yeah!
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah.
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah."