The Birth of John the Baptist in the "Joy to the World": Can earth receive her king without everyone benefiting?

The Tongue our measure, as individuals and as a culture? Submission of the tongue to 1. the mind 2. fear 3. truth 4. God’s Word 5. the culture surrounding?

John the Baptist as a child reared in the fear of God and not the fear of man is my examination.

His head was severed from his body for having reproved the highest man in that land. {perhaps the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow} Our minds and hearts are searching for true and right instruction of our children. We desire to seize the day in terms of their greatest effectiveness for God upon the earth. Yet the song of Mary’s Baby in Negro Spirituals helps me to see the dichotomy of our African American parenting style. There is a subculture of rearing to the fear of man, that is clear in my watchfulness.

Why language learning early? Why math? These expressions of thought at an early age are debased as “other”. Other kinds of people engage in such. We train toward subjugation and asking permission. Am I allowed to think about this or that, mother? God is far above in the cast of characters from whom we borrow our breath? We can’t see Him for the cultural multitude telling us what to do. It is enough that we are allowed to live and have breath in this foreign land. We have been here for many years and we are still a subculture in our own estimations. This is something we must break the shackles of. where is the culture going? We must be at the helm of such thought or there will not be a straight direction.

Headless Horsemen, do not take heed to the lot that fell to John the Baptist for thinking and expressing his spiritual assessment of the culture around him!

Lord give grace to grow and to Stand in developing our minds!please...

Understanding and accepting some of the cultural themes expressed in our hymns and spirituals?

I don't dare think I can understand the cultural divides to some of the spiritual concepts expressed in our hymns and spiritual songs!

I know that scripture says that John saw a multitude that was diverse and varied, in worship to God. I sometimes wonder at the blindness that we harbor in our prejudiced hearts about God and about our brethren. I see my own tendency to accuse my brethren of hardness of heart as I sing some of the Eurocentric Hymns and cry at some of the blindness as I sing the Spirituals. Once in a while I find divergence in thought and the unity of the Spirit growing in our Christian Hymnity.

Hold to His Hand, God's unchanging hand. Song about personal responsibility to hang onto Jesus, no matter come what may.

How very often we are arguing about the semantics of a biblical truth, instead of embracing the truth it declares and living it out.

some cultures emphasize the embracing of learning and thinking about your "'ligion". some culture discourage personal thought altogether in lieu of living it out. I call this the Pragmatic, versus the Intellectual. Some argue you can't live it until you think it. Others respond thinking about it ain't living it.

As I was worshipping, I felt the Holy Spirit underline one of my special needs in both of these hymns and spiritual songs. One song says it

3 Covet not this world’s vain riches That so rapidly decay. Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures. They will never pass away. [Refrain]

the other song said it another way

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise Thou mine Inheritance, now and always Thou and Thou only, first in my heart High…

Either way, I am convicted. Stop Coveting, I am not sure that I heed them not. I am sure that I am not completed in learning not to covet.

Especially in this season of the earth Christmas time, I could argue the Irish people were bragging about their ability to not heed to riches.{jealousy on my part} maybe they really have. The Blacks are reproving themselves and exhorting not to enter the covetous realm.

Either way, my accusation of the vehicle of reproof can keep me from the doing. Or I can humble myself and STOP COVETING. I receive the reproof from the Holy Spirit in "Negro Spiritual" and in Irish!

Though the Trials of life may surround like a cloud?

There's a peace in my heart that the world never gave, A peace it cannot take away; Tho' the trials of life may surround like a cloud, I've a peace that has come there to stay! Refrain: Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine; Constantly abiding, rapture divine; He never leaves me lonely, whispers, O so kind: "I will never leave thee," Jesus is mine. All the world seemed to sing of a Saviour and King, When peace sweetly came to my heart; Troubles all fled away and my night turned to day, Blessed Jesus, how glorious Thou art! This treasure I have in a temple of clay, While here on His footstool I roam: But He's coming to take me some glorious day, Over there to my heavenly home!

Jesus' light cuts through the darkness of trials, etc.I really don't like thinking about my trials, but it is when my peace is shaken that I realize the depth of the salvation which is purchased for me by my Savior and King. It is when the children say they are stranded here or there Between here and where they are, that my salvation is called into question in my own mind. Who do you trust? the devil asks. I trust Jesus, I say. But I am so used to trusting my care of my children that letting go of being able to bail them out of situations is so hard. That is most often the cloud that erases my vision of God's working in my life. This Hymn, this morning helped me work through the residual unbelief that this storm carried into my life. Each storm carries a level of unbelief to be overcome and worked through to see Jesus.