By's Musings

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What’s Coming Next on By’s Musings and the HEBB Website?

Hooray! By’s finally announcing the changes that are coming to By’s Musings and his website. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

In my previous post What Happened to By’s Musings, I asked you to keep watching for new blog posts because some significant changes were coming to my blog and website. I am now ready to unveil those changes.

It’s Tuesday. Time to publish a new post! Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The first change applies solely to the blog. I have instituted a firmer schedule for the publication of posts to By’s Musings. A new post will be published every Tuesday starting September 18.

Due to the extended absence which just ended, I have built up a backlog of ideas for posts and even completed first drafts of many posts. At the rate of one per week, it will take more than a year to exhaust these ideas and posts. So I have confidence that I will be able to keep to this more rigid schedule.

I’m instituting a strict limit of 1000 words for new blog posts. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The second change also only applies to the blog. It is a move toward more consistency in the length of posts. I am imposing on myself a limit of 1,000 words for each post. Via this concerted attempt to make the postings more concise and precise, I hope that the posts will be more readable and accessible to a wider audience.

Friends, before you rejoice prematurely, you can rest assured that I still suffer from the Russian novel syndrome that has plagued me for most of my life.

Longer reads will be placed on the HEBB website for those that want them. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The third change involves moving the longer and more rambling of my essays to the website. And, yes, I have already prepared first drafts of a number of these works. In this format, I can offer them as white papers and ebooks to those individuals who are looking for a deeper analysis and a more extended read on a topic.

By’s Musings will focus on three areas: Education, Faith and Religion, and Organizational Theory and Operations. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The fourth change will be an initial sharp reduction in the scope of topics which I will address. Until I exhaust the backlog of ideas which I have stockpiled, I will restrict my posts on the blog to the topics of education, faith and religion, and organizational theory and operations.

I will use Social Media Outlets to communicate my thoughts on other topics. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

This does not mean that I am no longer concerned with the topics of athletics, business, economics, food, health, and politics. As an idea strikes me, I will continue to think and write about these important areas of life. However, I will use Social Media avenues such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to communicate my ideas related to these fields.

The website will serve as a distribution center for resources. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The fifth change is directly related to the third and fourth changes. I will also be reorganizing the website around four primary foci. The first three are the previously mentioned topics of faith and religion, education, and organizational theory and operations. As noted above, I will be using the website as a distribution outlet for my research into the areas of faith and religion, education, and organizational theory and operations.

A circle of experts using all of their knowledge and experience to fit the pieces of a puzzle back together to solve problems. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The fourth focus will be the reinvention of an idea that I had several years ago. I will be using the website as the initial home base for a circle of experts who use their theoretical knowledge and practical experience to solve problems, and put the pieces back together to complete the puzzle.

As MLK once said, “There is strength in unity, and there is power in numbers.” One of the basic tenets of my educational philosophy is that learning is both an individual and social activity and process. If one can move the molehill, then more can move the mountain. The name that I am proposing for this alliance is The Watershed Collaborative (TWC). In a future post, I will explain the name and the purpose of The Collaborative. I will also begin to recruit partners to join me in this grand quest.

The website will promote webcasts and live events. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The sixth change will not be visible immediately. I will also use the website as a recruiting or promotional tool for another new venture. As a result of my work in the four areas outlined above, I am in the process of preparing presentations that may end up as either webcasts or in-person events. I will use social media to drive people to the blog. I will use the blog to recruit people to an event. The website will become a repository of resources related to current and past events and a recruitment venue for future events.

I have titled the next post, A New Format to Posts on By’s Musings. As noted above, it is scheduled for release on Tuesday, September 18.  

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What Happened to By’s Musings?

What happened? Where’s my blog and website? They were just here! What am I supposed to do now? Image courtesy of Presenter Media

What happened to By’s Musings?” and “What went wrong?” are two questions that have been bugging me for eight months. In late December 2017, my blog and website both crashed.

It can’t be a 404 Error. I just used that page! Image courtesy of Presenter Media

I discovered the damage just after New Year’s when I attempted to go to the login page of my site to compose a draft of a new post. I got the dreaded 404 Error Message: The requested page is not available. I felt like screaming at the computer screen: What do mean “NOT AVAILABLE”? I used this page two weeks ago. 

I hadn’t checked my blog or site for two weeks because it was the Christmas and New Year’s Break. How could the site be unavailable for only three people, me, my webmaster and his assistant are supposed to have access to it.

Emergency! Emergency! Please answer the red phone now. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

I immediately called my webmaster, he said he would check it out and get back to me. When he did respond, his initial assessment was not encouraging.

Sometimes, you just want to cry. This was seven years of work down the drain. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

Everything on the website and blog that had been done between June 17, 2017, and December 17, 2017 had been wiped out. It had all vanished into Cyber La La Land. The electronic gremlins which inflicted this damage had also destroyed all links and formatting on everything done prior to June 17, 2017. This meant that nothing on my website or blog was working properly, or at least in the manner that I had intended it to work.

It will be alright. We have backups of everything. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

My webmaster sensing my deep frustration and mounting desperation immediately tried to console me with the soothing words, “But we have backups of everything.”

My webmaster and I are both backup fanatics. I have more than 50 years of files on two external hard drives and another copy stored at an offsite location through a backup service. My webmaster has a whole row of backup drives servicing his web clients. I even kept paper copies of all of my previous blog posts, just in case.

Sometimes you can’t escape the dominoes once they start dropping. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

I felt a little more secure until the next domino dropped. My webmaster tried reloading my posts and pages from his backups. But Murphy’s Law struck again. They wouldn’t load correctly. Nothing that was done after June 17, 2017, would load at all. For posts and pages done before June 17, 2017, the only thing that would load was the text. Most of the illustrations, pictures, or links would not load properly. What were we to do now?

Further investigation indicated that software updates to three separate components of this project were all done at essentially the same time, possibly creating mass confusion and conflict. In addition, we found that the formatting and loading processes that we used in the early posts were now incompatible with the new software.

We’ve had to reconstruct By’s Musings from the ground up. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

We came to the agonizing conclusion that the only way to rectify the problem was to essentially reconstruct the website and blog posts one at a time and to relaunch a new and improved version of By’s Musings and the Higher Ed By Baylis (HEBB) website. Some of those hard copies were going to come in handy after all.

As we prepared to do this relaunch, we came to the obvious conclusion that this would be the best time to update and redesign them. Thus, we are getting ready to roll out several new features on both the blog and the website. 

What’s on the menu? You will have to wait for my post on October 1 to see the changes. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

I will highlight those new features in my next post which I plan to publish on Friday, September 14. 

To whet your appetite for what’s coming, I will just say that the new site and blog will integrate more social media aspects and will be more interactive. 

Surprise 50th Anniversary Party for Elaine & By Baylis. Note: Two shirt pockets are an absolute necessity for a buffet – one for pen and notepad (you will never know when an interesting idea will strike you), the second for napkin and flatware. All of the dishes look so good. Which one is the appetizer and which one is the entree? What should I try first? Where are the desserts? Image courtesy of our daughter, Theresa Burgard

Please stayed tuned for what I believe will be an exciting ride. One of the basic tenets of my philosophy of education is that education is both an individual and a social activity. It’s like a pot-luck dinner, where each participant brings something of value to the table. I trust you will enjoy the travels and the bountiful buffet. Give of yourself to help others, while helping yourself to the tantalizing offerings of others. I hope you will contribute your knowledge, expertise, and skills. Participate fully to the benefit of all of us. Bon appetit. 

 

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ATTENTION! BY’S MUSINGS IS BACK!

After an eight-month absence, By’s Musings has returned. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

Did that headline grab your attention? I certainly hope so. It’s not that I love attention. It’s just that I felt I needed to do something unusual to reach out to a new audience, along with my former audience.

Announcing the Grand Reopening of By’s Musings! Image courtesy of Presenter Media

After having been offline now for more than eight months, I definitely needed something to draw in that new audience and alert my former audience that By’s Musings is back in the game.

What in the worlds is By’s Musings? Image courtesy of Presenter Media

You don’t remember “By’s Musings“. You have no clue as to what it is. “By’s Musings” is my personal blog which also serves as an entry to my website Higher Ed By Baylis LLC.

Excuse me, but I have one question for you: If you didn’t know anything about By’s Musings, how did you get here? What made you read this Grand Reopening post from By’s blog?

Check By’s Musings on Monday, September 10, for an important message. Image courtesy of Presenter Media.

My next post will be published on Monday, September 10. You’re all invited to check out that post. It will provide you with a brief description of the extensive damage that shut down both the blog and website for the better part of a year.

Please pardon our dust while our website and blog are under construction. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

In subsequent posts, I will provide a more complete account of the new features of the website and the new threads which will be the focus of future blog posts.

As a quick introduction to the coming changes, suffice it to say that I will be consolidating my efforts in both my blog and website to three specific areas. I will be using an approach that resembles more of a rifle than a shotgun to target the areas of education, organizational theory/operations, and faith/religion.

I will be making a number of other changes. The first change will be an increased emphasis on the use of social media for pre- and post-publication dissemination of information and announcements. I will be using social media as a vehicle to help drive readers to my blog and website.

The second change will be a greater stress on and push for audience participation in both my blog and website. I want to engender more discussion and conversation. In a true learning environment, everyone has something of value to bring to the table. Hopefully, we can enrich each other, by learning and teaching together.  

In the third change, I will be using shorter blog posts to introduce topics and proposals for discussion. I will reserve the longer pieces for the website where they will be offered as resources to individuals and organizations via occasional whitepapers and ebooks. As the site develops more fully and becomes more operational, please check in at your convenience and browse through its contents.

“I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it.” Image courtesy of Presenter Media.

Borrowing a phrase from the Pointer Sisters, “I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!” Please join me on an adventurous journey to both new and familiar places. Hopefully, all of us will learn much about ourselves and the world along the way. Bon voyage!  

 

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Education’s Big Lie, Part V: Every Student Is Important! No Student Should Be Forgotten!

I began this series of posts on Education’s Big Lie more than three months ago with the post Education’s Big Lie, Part I – Introduction.  In attempting to make my first point I highlighted Procrustian’s aphorism “one size fits all.”

Caricature from 19th century German satirical magazine “Berliner Wespen” (Berlin Wasps) – Title: Procrustes. Caption: Bismarck: As I see, Lady Liberty is somewhat too large – we want to change this immediately to her contention. (He chops away her legs.) – Inscription on the bed: Socialist Law. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; in Public Domain

To address the question of whether the American systems of elementary, secondary and higher education are forgetting or ignoring students, I turn now to Henry David Thoreau, Albert Einstein, and Lyndon Johnson. This extremely disparate group of individuals might seem to be an unusual choice of spokespersons.

Thoreau was a 19th-century American writer and transcendental thinker. He is probably most well-known for his book “Walden; or, Life in the Woods“, a treatise on the simple life and self-sufficiency.  The key tenets of transcendentalism included the inherent goodness of nature and individuals. Followers of this world view believed that our culture, society and its institutions had corrupted the purity with which each of us was born. To return to our best, natural state, we should withdraw from society.

Henry David Thoreau, 19th-century American artist, writer and intellectual (1817 – 1862) This image is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.

Thoreau is reported to have made the following comment concerning a child’s potential:

Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything.

I picked Thoreau because he could see the future in the eyes of a child playing with a jar of paint. Most people only see the child making a mess. To Thoreau, that child was envisioning a masterpiece on the epic scale of the Sistine Chapel.

This photo of a baby playing with yellow paint by Dutch artist Peter Klashorst is entitled “Experimental”. Image courtesy of Peter Klashorst and Wikimedia Commons. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

In December 1999, Time Magazine named Albert Einstein the Person of the Century. The editors proclaimed him to be a “genius, political refugee, humanitarian, locksmith of the mysteries of the atom and the universe.” They further explained their somewhat controversial choice by saying, “He was the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science. The touchstones of the era–the Bomb, the Big Bang, quantum physics and electronics–all bear his imprint.”

Albert Einstein German-American scientist (1879 – 1955), lecturing in Vienna in 1921, the year he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Photo by Ferdinand Schmutzer. Image in Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons”

Einstein often spoke of the importance and significance of the individual. The following quote is generally attributed to him: manner:

The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.

Solitary hiker on virgin snow. The photo was taken March 23, 2014, by Tapas Biswas near Sandakphu, West Bengal’s highest peak. The image is licensed by Biswas under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Image courtesy of Tapas Biswas and Wikimedia Commons.

I picked Einstein and this quote denigrating the process of following the masses because Einstein was a person who set out on his own most of his life. He separated himself from the crowd and concentrated his attention on what he saw, heard and thought. These were things that people who took the shoveled path never saw.

Lyndon Johnson was elected Vice President of the United States in 1960 when John Kennedy won the presidency over Richard Nixon. When Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Johnson became the 36th President of the United States. Under Johnson’s leadership, a series of domestic legislative programs called the Great Society and the War on Poverty were enacted. They included Medicare and Medicaid, and a significant increase in federal spending on education, the arts, urban and rural development, and public services. There was also a dramatic increase in governmental attention to the civil rights of individuals.

The signing ceremony on April 11, 1965, for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) at the Former Junction Elementary School in Johnson City, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson is seated at a table with his childhood schoolteacher, Ms. Kate Deadrich Loney. The President took the opportunity to deliver prepared remarks about educating American youth. This image is the work of Frank Wolfe, White House photographer, an employee of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a  work of the U. S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.  Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

In President’s Johnson prepared remarks he said,

By passing this bill, we bridge the gap between helplessness and hope for more than five million educationally deprived children.

We put into the hands of our youth more than 30 million new books, and into many of our schools their first libraries.

We reduce the terrible time lag in bringing new teaching techniques into the nation’s classrooms.

We strengthen state and local agencies which bear the burden and the challenge of better education.

And we rekindle the revolution–the revolution of the spirit against the tyranny of ignorance.

As a son of a tenant farmer, I know that education is the only valid passport from poverty.

As a former teacher–and, I hope, a future one–I have great expectations of what this law will mean for all of our young people.

As President of the United States, I believe deeply no law I have signed or will ever sign means more to the future of America.

To each and everyone who contributed to this day, the nation is indebted.

What an awesome responsibility to place on one law:

  • Bridge the gap between helplessness and hope
  • Put new books and libraries in our nation’s schools
  • Reduce the time lag in bringing new teaching techniques into our classrooms
  • Rekindle the revolution against the tyranny of ignorance
  • Provide a valid passport from poverty
  • Give young people great expectations for their futures

In the half a century since ESEA was signed into law, there have been a few victories. One of the first to occur in the late 1960’s was the concept of magnet schools. These schools were introduced as an educational reform model of public school choice as a way to address educational inequity.   Magnet schools are based on the premise that students do not learn in the same way or at the same rate; that if we find a unifying theme or a different organizational structure for students of similar interest, students will learn more in all areas. In other words, if a magnet school voluntarily attracts students and teachers, it will succeed because, more than for any other reason, those in attendance want to be there. They will have chosen that school.  These schools usually have superior facilities and staff and offer a specialized curriculum designed to attract pupils from any school throughout a city or district.  Magnet schools have been created centered around STEM fields, the arts, and the classics.

Students at Parkland Aero Technology Magnet School in Rockville, MD are shown using a  device called a Sunspotter to track sunspots. Talking to the students is Research Scientist Daniel Mueller. He is explaining what they are seeing. Mueller from the European Space Agency is working with the Solar and Heliosphere Observatory (SOHO) of NASA. The photograph was taken in June 2016 by a NASA employee. This image is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. Image courtesy of NASA and Wikimedia Commons.

 

This is the art gallery of Da Vinci Arts Middle School, an arts magnet school in the Portland, Oregon.  The photograph was taken in January 2016 by Margalob. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.  Image courtesy of Margalob and Wikimedia Commons.

A number of school districts have been very successful at putting new books and new technologies into libraries and the hands of our students.  For example, the Port Charlotte school district on the Gulf Coast of Florida, approximately half way between Sarasota and Fort Myers, has a new combination library and media center that rivals many college facilities in its equipment and attractiveness.  Its mission reflects the goals of President Johnson and the EASA legislation.

 The Mission of the Port Charlotte High School Media Center is to encourage our students to develop a love of reading, to appreciate the many kinds of literature available, and to ensure that students become effective users of ideas and information.  We aim to provide a comprehensive program of service, print and non-print materials, equipment and technology that will help meet the students’ academic and leisure needs.  Our resources and instruction support the educational goals of Port Charlotte High School.

Port Charlotte High School Media Center in Port Charlotte, Florida. This image was posted to Wikimedia Commons by its author, identified as PCHS-NJROTC, on May 12, 2010,  It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Image courtesy of PCHS-NJROTC and Wikimedia Commons.

Before we get too excited and get the idea that most public school libraries look like this, we must take note that Port Charlotte is a wealthy suburban district where the median price of homes in mid-2017 is over $235,000. It was ranked as the 15th best public school district in Florida by NICHE, a small firm that is comprised of data scientists, engineers, and parents, who are passionate about helping people discover the schools and neighborhoods that are right for them and their children. The total 2016 fiscal year budget for the Port Charlotte School District was $247million, of which $30million was appropriated for capital improvement projects.

There are many other successful school districts across the United States. However, the failures have far outnumbered the successes. To find examples of these failures, all one has to do is read the daily or weekly news reports coming out of Washington and many other cities and towns around the United States. In my next post, I will highlight some of those failures. Having been a participant in and observer of education for more than 65 years, I have seen at least six types of students who have been and are being ignored by American public K-12 education as a system and by individual teachers within the system. In subsequent posts, I will highlight these types of students and make some suggestions concerning what I believe needs to be done to bring these students into the mainstream.

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Are you a complexifier or a simplifier?

I have heard this question raised many times in higher education circles. Having run around in higher education circles for more than  50 years, I have heard many questions over and over again! If I am asking you, my reader, to be honest about yourself,  shouldn’t I be willing, to be honest? Am I a complexifier or a simplifier? The simplest and perhaps the most truthful answer to this question is “Yes!” The more complex answer is “It depends!” It depends upon a number of things. Am I climbing a physical or metaphoric hill attempting to find a solution to a problem?

Trying to climb a rock wall or solve a problem can be difficult, complicated and very taxing. Many times, there are no straightforward, paved paths to the summit. You must search not only for the next hand or foot hold but the next two or three after that first one.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Noonshin Beik. It portrays the sport of “bouldering” by rock climber Dennis George. This process is a difficult, complicated and taxing effort. The photo was taken by Noonshin Beik, who owns the copyright and has published and licensed the photo under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

It may be a different tale if I am coasting down the other side of the hill trying to use that solution or to explain that solution to someone else.  One does not need to know college physics and mechanics to have a working knowledge of and enjoy the entertainment of a zip line. However, before you trust your health and life to that zip line, you had better check it out to make sure that someone who knows mechanics and safety matters set up the zip line correctly.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia and photographer, Eric T Gunther. This zip line is located in Costa Rica. The individual riding the zip line in the photo is a friend of the photographer. It is licensed by Mr. Gunther under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The scientific principles under which zip lines operate are simple physics but must be followed for safety’s sake. If someone has not correctly accounted for the height differences between the origin and terminus of the line, the tension of the cable, the weight of the load carried, and the coefficient of friction on the cable, a ride could end catastrophically.

In terms of explaining something, one of my favorite quotes is commonly attributed to Albert Einstein.

Albert Einstein, in his later years (probably 1950s). Photograph from the Library of Congress Photographs and Prints Division: “Copyright John D . Schiff, New York” but “Copyright not renewed, 4/2000” according to LOC. Image courtesy of John D. Schiff and Wikimedia Commons.

Einstein was undoubtedly a genius. But he supposedly said,

If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.

Christ spoke several times about receiving the Gospel as a child.

Christ receiving the young children and lecturing his disciples on the faith of a child. This image was originally posted to Flickr by Internet Archive Book Images at https://flickr.com/photos/126377022@N07/14577860217. It was reviewed on 23 September 2015 by the FlickreviewR robot and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the No known copyright restrictions.

Mark 10:13 – 16 is one passage talking about receiving the Gospel as a young child:

13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. (KJV)

Climbing a solution’s hill, I find myself in agreement with Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and Albert Einstein. Holmes reportedly said, “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”  

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., circa 1930. Edited photograph from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Original photo by Harris & Ewing. Library of Congress LC-USZ62-47817 (b&w film copy neg.) This work is from the Harris & Ewing collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictions on the use of this work.

Einstein is usually credited with formulating the principle: “A scientific theory should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.”  The search for simplicity has sometimes been likened to the Quest for the Holy Grail. It is extremely hard work and can be a fruitless search.

This illustration of Sir Galahad’s vision of the Holy Grail was completed by Wiliam Edward Frank Britten on December 31, 1900. It appeared in “The Early Poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson to illustrate the poem “Sir Galahad.”  The image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.

The inspiration of Britten’s illustration comes from the following sections of Tennyson’s poem:

I find a magic bark;
I leap on board: no helmsman steers:
I float till all is dark.
A gentle sound, an awful light!
Three angels bear the holy Grail:
With fold feet in stole of white,
On sleeping wings they sail.
Ah, blessed vision! blood of God!
My spirit beats her mortal bars,
As down dark tides the glory slides,
And star-like mingles with the stars.When on my goodly charger borne
Thro’ dreaming towns I go,  (Lines 38 – 49)

“O just and faithful knight of God!
Ride on! the prize is near.”
So pass I hostel, hall, and grange;
By bridge and ford, by park and pale,
All-arm’d I ride, whate’er betide,
Until I find the holy Grail.  (Lines 78 – 83)

Jumping to simple conclusions before one does the hard work of diligently searching for the truth or a workable solution can be very dangerous. It is also usually ineffective. I am reminded of the fabled silver bullet, that miraculous entity that very quickly and easily solves a serious, long-standing problem.  I am reminded of three different versions of the uses of silver bullets. I will come back to look at silver bullets in a future post.

Returning to the question at hand in this post: “Am I a complexifier or a simplifier?” The simplest answer is “Yes.” The next simplest answer is “It depends.” I trust this post has shared some of my complex struggles in attempting to come to a simple response.

 

 

 

 

 

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Advent Wreath Resolution at Easter

As we celebrate Easter 2017 are you still keeping up with your Advent Wreath Resolutions? In this reminder post, I return to consider two candles. The first is obviously the Christ candle, while the second is the Peace candle.

Image used under creative commons license available at https://creativecommons.org/license/by-sa/3.0/

Advent and Easter bookend the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, God’s son. They celebrate two commonalities that the incarnate Christ shared with all humanity: birth and death. Without going through both birth and death, Christ could not have been fully human. One of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith is that Jesus is at the same time fully God and fully human. Without being fully God, he could not have been without sin. Without being fully human, he could not have been the perfect sacrifice in order to be the propitiation for the sins of all mankind, so that he could satisfy the penalty for sin.

As an indication of Christ’s humanity he was born of a woman; grew up in the traditions of the first-century Jewish culture; and was nurtured, nourished, and cherished by an earthly mother.

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2: 1 -7, JKV)

Image courtesy of WIkimedia Commons and Giovanni Dall’Orto. This photograph contains details from a Nativity scene, painted on paper sheets glued on wood panels, made by Francesco Londonio (1723-1783) around 1750. It is on display in the Cappella del Presepe in san Marco church at Milan. This kind of presepe was rather common in the past, but very few such specimens have survived until today. This one is remarkably well preserved, and it was carefully restored a few years ago. The photograph is by Giovanni Dall’Orto, April 14, 2007.

21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (Luke 2: 21 & 22, JKV)

Constable’s Chapel – Presentation of Christ and Purification of Mary – Cathedral of Burgos. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC BY-SA 3.0. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him…51 And he went down with them, … , and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.  52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. (Luke 2, 40 & 51-52, JKV)

Ivory Madonna with Child. The original artist is unknown. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the photographer “3dnatureguy.” It is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

In order to fulfill his mission on earth, it was necessary for Jesus to be born. Although it was necessary, it wasn’t sufficient. He had to be subjected to all the temptations that we face. Yet in spite of those temptations, he had to live a sinless life and then sacrifice His life as a ransom for mankind.

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. (Hebrews 12: 17 & 18, JKV)

45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.  (Mark 10:45, KJV)

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (Philippians 2: 7 – 9, KJV))

The Disposition by Rembrandt. When the Romans were assured that Jesus was dead. They allowed Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to take the body of Jesus down, get it prepared for burial and to take it to the tomb. This photograph by Jan Arkesteijn is a faithful reproduction of a two-dimension work of art that is in the public domain and hence is in the public domain. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Jan Arkesteijn.

But the Easter story doesn’t end at the tomb. On that first Easter Sunday morning, as Robert Lowery’s song says,

 Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Rembrandt’s Christ and St. Mary Magdalen at the tomb, painted in 1638. The original oil painting is a two-dimension work of art that is in the public domain. This is a faithful reproduction of that work and hence is also in the public domain. The image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the photographer. It is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Thus, there is an obvious connection between the Christ candle in the Advent Wreath and the Christ of Easter. What’s the connection of the Peace candle of the Advent Wreath and Easter? In the two posts concerning the Peace candle, Advent Wreath Resolutions: Peace and Advent Wreath Resolutions; Peace – Part II I mentioned that the word “peace” is used more than 400 times in the King James Version of the Bible. In 10 of those times, the idea being conveyed is that of silence,  using something like the phrase “held his peace.”  Two of those references occur during the trial of Jesus.

57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. (Matthew 26: 57 – 65, KJV)

57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. 59 But neither so did their witness agree together. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? (Mark 14: 57 – 63, KJV)

Wood cut by 17th-century artist Wencelas Hollar. This two-dimensional artwork is in the public domain and thus this image as a faithful reproduction is also in the public domain. This image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, teh University of Toronto Wenceslaus Hollar Digital Collection, and the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.

The references in Matthew 26 and Mark 14 to Christ holding his peace (keeping silent) reminds us of the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53:

 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isaiah 53: 6 -8, KJV)

Christ was the lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice. He “held his peace” before being led off to the slaughter. The Jewish high priest used the passage from Isaiah to build a false case against Christ so that they could be rid of him. The same passage was later used to bring an Ethiopian official to a saving knowledge of Christ.

26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.  34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8: 26 – 39, KJV)

16th Century painting “the Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Deacon Philip” painted by Lambert Sustris. The original work is in the public domain in the United States. As a faith reproduction of this two-dimension work of art, the photograph is also in the public domain. The image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the Web Gallary of Art.

In this Easter season, are you prepared to let the light of the Christ candle be reflected in your life? Are you prepared to “not hold your peace” but speak boldly about the sacrificial lamb of God that stoically held his peace, and died in your place?