A Time to Laugh

If the 20th-century culture wars were as real as we were taught — and how many times did I leave Whirlybirds convinced that the world would collapse before I woke in the morning? — and if Bob Jones University really is the West Point of Christian Fundamentalism, then I think I finally understand this song. A little.

I was so gung-ho to lay down my whole life for a constructed fight for a pristine good and against a clear evil. . . . we all were. And when you’re fighting — especially when that fight is more about resurrecting a “good war” than anything else — it doesn’t even matter who is wrong and who is right. The fight is everything. That’s how complete the training is.

And we lost in Vietnam too.

We read:

• Luke 2:25-38
• Psalm 126

We remember:

• I Samuel 9-10
• Crown

We read:

• Matthew 9:18-35
• Isaiah 11:1-10

We remember:

• Judges 6-8
• Water Pitcher

We read:

• Luke 15:3-7
• Isaiah 40:9-11

We remember:

• Joshua 1 and Joshua 6
• Trumpet

We sing:

• Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

We read:

• Luke 4:14-21
• Isaiah 52:6-10

We remember:

• Exodus 20
• Tablets

We read:

• Matthew 1:18-25
• Zechariah 2:10-13

We remember:

• Genesis 37
• Coat of Many Colors

We read:

• Luke 1:26-28
• Galatians 4:4-7
• Luther’s Second Sermon

We remember:

• Isaiah 9
• Candle

We sing:

We read:

• John 8:12
• Isaiah 60:1-5

We remember:

• Genesis 22
• Ram

We read:

• Ephesians 5:8-14
• Isaiah 49:5-13

We remember:

• Genesis 12:1-7
• Stars

We sing:

• Father Abraham

We read:

• Matthew 12:1-21
• John 3:16-17

We remember:

• Genesis 6-8
• Rainbow

We sing:

• Rise and Shine