Friends, Generally speaking, the truth is better than a lie where relationships are concerned. Here is a story from my working past and some observations about Christmas.  See the column below. Blessings, Bob

--- --- ---

Spirituality Column #890

December 5, 2023

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

The Lord is Near, Part 2

By Bob Walters

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” – Psalms 145:18

Some years ago, I was the public relations exec for an Indy Car auto racing team whose owner had called a secret meeting in Denver of the other 16 or so team owners.

This was the old CART series in the late 1980s (which then fielded most of the cars in the Indianapolis 500) and every team owner was there except for Roger Penske, who was in touch by phone.  I admit many details have faded away, but I was the only non-owner in the room and charged with keeping the minutes.  So, I was there.

Somebody – not me – had tipped off the media, evidently just that morning, that the meeting was happening.  By mid-afternoon a handful of nimble-footed motorsports newspaper and magazine writers had hustled to Denver and camped outside the hotel meeting room where the owners had gathered.  Secrets were famously not well kept among the owners, but one owner proposed the following for dealing with the writers:

“Have the PR guy (pointing at me) go out and lie to them.” He sounded serious.

“Go out and lie to them.” I had seen PR guys try that before; it was never pretty.

I bring this up – a story not about Christmas or Jesus or church, but I’ll get to that – because it speaks to the fallen, human default mechanism of being threatened and evincing a first, self-preservation instinct to lie. Even if it is a joke. Or not. Ha, ha, ha.

The art of public relations, and specifically media relations, is to present the best possible version of the truth, or to say nothing.  Some PR efforts are successful because they widely promote a message; others because they maintain silence. Except in life-or-death or wartime security accommodations, rule No. 1 is that it is a bad idea to loudly proclaim a false idea, especially when the truth will be known shortly.

Like, from a chatty motorsports team owner’s mouth.  Lies kill relationships.

Now let’s tie this idea about truth into Jesus, Christmas, humanity … and Peter.

Peter famously denied the truth of his relationship with Jesus in the high priest’s courtyard as Jesus was “tried” by the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:69-75).  I don’t believe Peter ever lost faith in Jesus, but rather he, momentarily, lost his own personal sense of security knowing Jesus would be killed. In his fear-driven weakness, I give that one to Peter. Besides, it was not his time, and Peter’s witness of Christ later would be critical.

At Christmas, today, we observe and, in many cases, share and even live the secular nonsense of all the “Happy Holidays” blather that may errantly lead us – and importantly, others, especially non-believers – away from sincere relationship with Jesus.  Our own closeness to Christ isn’t in danger because somebody wishes us “Happy Holidays”; we should live that divine closeness 24-7-365 (ok, 366 next year).

Our challenge is to use this season to promote the best possible version of the truth about Jesus … to anyone we can.  Like Peter in the courtyard, we may be cowed by public opinion: either reluctant to speak up, or swept along in the happy tidal wave of folks who celebrate Christmas but reject a saving and obedient relationship with Jesus. 

Yet … there is that unmistakable Christmas magic and truth – that presence and sense of the eternal, the heart-tug of “something bigger than me out there” – permeating the season’s joys.  I felt it long before I believed in salvation, God’s love, repentance in Christ, or the Spirit’s abiding comfort. Jesus was always near, but I denied His truth.

May the Lord’s Christmas nearness speak the best possible truth into every soul.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) knows discernment matters: lying to protect another’s feelings can be merciful, or to respect another’s privacy, honorable.  Let wisdom reign.