As we come closer to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, I can’t help but notice an irony in what I’ll call the first “No Kings” protest, as relayed to us in the Gospel of John:
They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15, ESV)
The irony is that the Jews wanted a Messiah who would overthrow the Roman government. Seeing that Jesus claimed to be God but had a different purpose than fulfilling their immediate desires, they sought to have Him crucified, preferring to submit to the lordship of their hated Roman overseers. To shout “We have no king but Caesar” was to capitulate to living on in chains.
But by willingly going to the Cross, Christ accomplished His purpose. He sacrificed Himself in atonement for human sin.
Was this a universal atonement? It is universally offered, though not everyone chooses to accept His free gift on their behalf. Many reject it, as they don’t wish to submit to this new King, even if He were raised from the dead.
The issue is one of authority. We want to claim for ourselves authority to define what is good and evil. This was the original sin of Adam and Eve.
Rather than accept Christ as King of our life (the One who sacrificed Himself so that we might thrive as the humans we were intended to be), we happily sell ourselves short, submitting to any lesser authority that affirms our willfulness in pursuing whatever paths seem right to us. We reject God’s laws, replacing Him with ourselves as our own law-giver.
In today’s world we further reimagine Christ, not as a King with true authority over us, but as our ever-affirming friend, one who tells us what we want to hear. To quote H. Richard Niebuhr, for we moderns, “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.”
But Christ did die on a cross that he chose for a purpose, that of our justification and redemption before the one true Holy God.
In a world that is currently consumed with concepts of identity, it’s worth noting that Christ did not die so that we could henceforth find our identity in our tribe (political or otherwise) or in our appetites (sexual or otherwise). He died so that we could find our identity as sinners redeemed by His blood, shed on our behalf. Our unity is found as fellow recipients of His grace.
His resurrection demonstrates His victory over the chains of sin and death that have bound us. Our choice is to either make Christ our King, picking up our cross to follow Him, or to return to chains of sin and death where we accept lesser rulers of our own dying little kingdoms.
Trusting and following Christ is to submit to His authority, allowing Him to live in and through us toward His redemptive purposes in this world. None of us do this perfectly, though one way or another, it seems there will be a king on the throne of our hearts.
I have a friend who has fallen on hard times. She and her husband came to the U.S. over 30 years ago and eventually became naturalized citizens. They raised two children who were born in the U.S., both of whom are productive citizens. Sadly, the couple had difficulties in their marriage which ended in divorce. Her husband has returned to their home country to work there. She now relies upon the help of her children (who are living in another state) to cover expenses.
Seeking to help as well, I encouraged her to apply to our state Social Services Department for an EBT card (food stamps), as this seemed a practical way to cover at least her basic monthly food costs. With a monthly subsidy of about three hundred dollars, this form of public assistance seemed worth pursuing. Understandably, it comes with periodic reporting requirements. It is intended as a means of helping people get on their feet, so to speak, as they arrange for at least part-time work that will allow them to move forward and thrive. It is a form of grace that one can receive, albeit offered through a state government program supported by our taxes.
Sadly, my friend has cultivated within herself a sense of resentment over not being compensated more through this program than she has been, as if it were intended as payment for a life well-lived. She had indeed raised her children well, and on those terms, the subsidy would seem terribly inadequate. But it is a form of charity intended to help those in need, not payment one is entitled to as compensation for past service to society.
Perhaps we would do well to return our charitable efforts to the administration of self-funded private organizations (religious or otherwise) where they are more easily understood to offer charity and not entitlements to be demanded from our government. Simply framing charity as a grace that one can receive, and from people with whom we interact at a local level, may be preferable to framing it as an entitlement owed to us by a faceless government entity. Emphasis on the latter seems to have led to gross levels of fraud.
There will always be instances of fraud for which oversight should be expected, though self-funded local charities (without government funding) will have a greater incentive to root out fraud than our government programs ever had.
I’m sure we’ll continue to fund both private and public charitable efforts, and with the hope that fewer people will fall through the cracks of society. But given the abuse we’ve seen among publicly funded programs, perhaps it’s time to reconsider our collective focus, returning or shifting as much funding as we can to private and local charitable organizations and their efforts on behalf of the needy.
Christmas Greetings
from Sioux Falls - December 2025
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a personal photo with my Christmas letter, so here’s one that was taken last spring:
2025 Christmas photo
(clearly by default)
As you can see, I’m closely tracking the most important cultural shifts of our time, as viewed through the vicissitudes of our local minor league baseball team (arguably the best lens for assessing such things). I’m also hoping for an NIL deal here... Sadly, so far NIL has generated nil for we fans, though perhaps I can become an exception… even as a walk-on.
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Among my current hobbies, this past year I’ve gotten into affordable time travel. I’ve had the most success in returning to the late 1960s. It seems the best way to make the trip is by finding an era-appropriate radio station while running my car through a local car wash, as illustrated here:
Despite my frantic warnings during these time-travel ventures, I’ve been unable to change the course of world events sparked back then. On the other hand, I’ve reliably determined that, indeed, the Walrus was Paul.*
* - reference
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As for managing the challenges of modern life, I otherwise continue to enjoy various comic stress-breakers, both new and old. I often feel like the man in this comic, watching these disingenuous parades on both sides go by (letting them run their course, as they typically do):
Here's more of this kind of thing, if you could use some comic relief as well.
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On the actual theme of Christmas, here's a reflection on how Jesus
was welcomed into the world, meeting us where we are:
We often
overlook the most tragic part of the Christmas story: that when Jesus was still
an infant, Joseph fled with his family to a foreign country to escape the mass
infanticide perpetrated by King Herod and his soldiers...
Christ’s advent
happened in and through suffering and darkness. Jesus did not come in power and
majesty but in apparent weakness and ignominy...
Mary thus gave
birth to the King of kings amid squalor, poverty, and oppression. Christ’s
first visitors were social outcasts and religious outsiders—mere common
shepherds. From the moment he was born, Jesus came in powerful weakness for the
downtrodden, the marginalized, and the helpless...
The unfolding of
the Christmas story revealed the purposes of God and the nature of Christ’s
kingship long before Jesus began his public ministry. The Father could have
chosen for Jesus to be born into royal splendor, power, and universal fame. But
He didn’t. Instead, God displayed His glory and mighty power by working though
seemingly weak and foolish means to reach into the dark depths of our human
condition so that He could redeem a lost people and recreate a broken world...
Christ’s light
pierces the darkness of our sin, pain, and suffering. God gives us a Messiah
who comes to us directly through suffering, darkness, and doubt...
The story of
Advent can fill us with true hope precisely because it unfolds amid the
darkness that afflicts us. Christ’s radiance shines most beautifully in the
shadows. So let us not turn aside from this vision. We come to adore the Light
of the World who descended into our night. He is the Dayspring from on high who
has come to His people. He is Emmanuel — God with us.
Here is the full article, by Matthew Kuchem.
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With that, please join me in taking stock of the true
meaning and importance of the incarnation.
Merry Christmas, Y’all!
Human Labor Trafficking and Cybercrime
by Jim Kenaston
In Hoc Anno Domin means “in the year of our Lord.” It’s also the title of a 1949 editorial written by then Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster. It has been published in that newspaper annually since that time.
A friend recently shared a copy of the editorial with me, so I read it for the first time. I was surprised that Royster seems to have made the same mistake as that of the 1st century Jews, who were looking for a political savior to free them from the yoke of domination under the Roman Empire.
Royster interprets the Apostle Paul's conversion in terms of gaining freedom from political oppression, when in fact, the point of Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection was to free humanity from slavery to sin. Freedom from political tyranny and oppression can come downstream for a world that turns in repentance toward a genuine trust in Christ and a willingness to abide in His ways, but such change is a secondary consequence of changed hearts, minds, and human wills. Had Christ merely sought to overcome political oppression, He would have accepted Satan’s offer of the kingdoms of the world in exchange for bowing before him.
An Earlier Take
Several years ago, David Merkel offered this comment on Royster’s editorial, saying it was written:
in a time where many in the US feared Communism and other forms of totalitarianism.
...he cites the Bible seven times without attribution, and every time takes the part of the Bible out of its context to support economic and political freedom and oppose totalitarianism. It’s horrible from an intellectual standpoint, because the Bible is not trying to say anything like that at that point. I could write an essay showing how the Bible encourages economic and political freedom, and opposes totalitarianism, but I would quote very different Scriptures but do so in their proper context.
Merkel goes into specific detail about Royster’s misuse of Scripture in a follow-up article, here.
For Today’s World
We can consider God’s calling for us amid the realities and challenges of our time. Christ died for those who crucified Him, including us in our sins and our opponents in theirs.
If we’re looking to Christ as if He were merely a political savior whose purpose is to validate the status quo of our lifestyle choices, we need to take stock of His call to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). His purpose is to redeem all who will repent and follow Him, even His oppressors, and ours.
What does it mean for us to follow Christ’s lead in forgiving even those who crucified Him, “for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)? Are we willing to do this to our own hurt, as Jesus did?
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:34b-37)
Merry Christmas!
I’ve shared this extended quote with friends before. It seems an appropriate reflection as we consider the gift we have in Christ, and perhaps more so as we experience a pendulum swing in certain aspects of our culture. Please consider this perspective with me, once again, as we look forward to Christmas:
“John [the Apostle] brought in things that didn’t belong so that people whose lives didn’t fit the pattern could celebrate Jesus.
“It makes a kind of sense that someone who spent his life making friends with paupers, prostitutes, publicans, and other pariahs, like Jesus did, should begin his story with tales including those who didn’t fit. Despite our desires and our propaganda, Christmas is not a seamless robe of rich, tasteful, conservative colors. It is made up of things that don’t belong – odd people, odd ideas, all tuned up a little bit and joined together...
“...The patchwork quilt of Christmas is not conventionally attractive, but the lives of many are not conventionally pretty or serene. Some people’s lives have never been nice. Other people’s lives kick over the traces sometimes and turn ugly. Without warning, or deserving, people lose their jobs, their homes, their health, their wives or husbands, their innocence. People like this can’t deal with a holiday that’s all Brooks Brothers and Norman Rockwell, Mother Teresa and saintly graybeards, chamber music and family albums. They need a holiday that’s more like a consignment shop – all kinds of stuff that doesn’t fit, arranged with a smile and a hope.
“The Good News is that’s just the way the New Testament tells the story – street kids on the night shift with the flock, a pregnant, unwed teenager, invitations to offbeat groups.
“It is so close to being funny. It is such good-spirited mockery of our middle-class merchandising and half-hearted hopes that you have to smile at least a little and seek the hands and hearts of those whose lives don’t fit. For Christmas, along with the whole gospel, is especially for them.”
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The year in review…
Having moved to Sioux Falls just over a year ago, this past May I was happy to move from an apartment into a house along West Mesa Pass. For this first year I decided to leave the surrounding land fallow, though this coming spring I may cultivate the back forty [square feet] to see what I can harvest next fall.
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My latest hobby... In my copious free time I’ve been reviewing 10-hour long “Relaxing White Noise” videos.
To explain, I noticed a trend on YouTube where members of a younger generation will post “First Time Hearing” reaction videos that feature popular songs of the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.
Our culture may have enough memes and lampoons, though it’s tempting to add to them by producing full-length reaction videos of my favorite relaxing white noise tracks, such as: Rushing River Sounds, Train Sounds, Private Jet Ambience, Crackling Campfire, and the triple-feature hit, Rain, Thunder, and Ocean Waves.
With my monotone reviews, the series is sure to be popular among insomniacs and tinnitus sufferers. I’ll add insult to injury by asking people to “like” the videos, subscribe to the channel, and “hit the bell, so you’ll be notified as new videos come out.”
Feel free to follow along with my exploits as a social media influencer iconoclast. Here’s where I post things most often: https://jkenaston.blogspot.com/.
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Merry Christmas to you all!
May God’s grace be with you as you strive on in good faith and service to our Lord.
Thoughts About Our Worship
by Jim Kenaston
“Worship in many Evangelical churches, with its emphasis on entertaining an audience, has more the flavor of a rock concert than of a gathering where the people of God join together in the work of the liturgy. These churches fit nicely into the Age of Authenticity. People can have their individual experiences of God without even knowing the person standing next to them. The services are sprinkled with enchantment, just enough to create an environment of ‘praise and worship’ without threatening the autonomous self. Some Evangelical churches maintain singing of traditional hymns, but the ethos of worship has a decidedly rational and disembodied tone. For many years, whether one worshiped in seeker-friendly settings or in traditional contexts, no one seemed to notice or miss the presence of the divine in the material world - until they did.”
Perhaps the past 100 years of training ourselves in modes of passive entertainment have turned us into people who find it quite natural to treat worship as just another form of entertainment. An extreme example of this was recently noted in the United Kingdom: This UK Church Mixes Sermons with Wrestling So More People Show Up.
In many contexts, seeking to add entertainment value to our routines may be fine, though we may want to pause to consider what we’re doing as we enter a time of worshiping God as our Creator, Savior, and King. Are we reflecting in our worship a heart that loves the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30), or have we allowed ourselves to be drawn into something else?
Such a question requires circumspection, as it’s easy to find fault in the practice of others while being blind to our own failings. While a less extreme example, a behavior that raises a question for me is our practice of entering worship services with part of our breakfast in hand. It may be that we’ve gotten so used to multitasking that we’ve become thoughtless about what we’re doing as we enter a time for worshiping God.
We are critical of those in our culture who have come to define themselves according to their appetites (whether a sexual appetite or otherwise), though we may do well to ask whether we’re in fact worshiping our own appetite, as we can’t seem to set it aside for a mere hour of our Sunday mornings.
We rightly call for times a prayer and fasting when an issue is of great importance to us, such as an election, though it’s odd that there is apparently nothing special about our regular times of worship, such that we might set aside our appetite for a time. Out of respect for a given family, we would not bring our coffee into a wedding ceremony or to a funeral, but for some reason we’re not showing this same level of respect for God.
It makes sense to me that we should encourage times of fellowship, and where a spirit of hospitality is part of such gatherings (most weddings and funerals have a food reception afterward). In the case of our worship, perhaps we should arrive early and separate our time of fellowship from times set aside for formal worship.
Our fellowship is with each other, but we come together as a fellowship to worship our God. We might do well to consider hospitality as an opportunity to give of ourselves to each other, rather than reduce it to merely sharing light snacks and drinks. Our worship service is a time for us to attend to God and His Word. Are we being irreverent when we conflate the two?
In sharing concern about how our propensity to seek entertainment may have a negative impact on our worship, I’m sure there are habits and patterns in my own life that call for change. I pray for the Lord’s continued work in my own heart and life, and that I will grow in both discipleship and in grace. Let’s each follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in whether He calls us to change patterns we may have thoughtlessly fallen into, whether in our worship or in other areas of our lives.
[Updated on December 4, 2024]
