Standard Time
Electoral College
Round Robin
Oklahoma
Kennedy Assassination
Thanksgiving
Saint Andrew

Standard Time
08/11/02

The correct answer to the question “What time is it?” does not only depend on the clock or watch one looks at. It depends on the place where the question is asked. Looking at a map of the world, we can see 24 time zones, separated from each other by 15 degrees of longitude. My wife and I live in a retirement community in the U. S. State of Florida, but our elder son lives in the State of New Mexico, our daughter lives in Thailand and our younger son lives in Japan. In the continental United States of America, there are four time zones and since we have brothers, sisters and granddaughters living in California, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania, we must remember the time difference when we make telephone calls. In order to save lighting expense during the summer season when daylight hours are lengthened, during the First and Second World Wars, “Daylight Saving Time” was instituted in the U. S. A. Now, “Daylight Saving Time” (when clocks are turned ahead one hour) has become customary every summer. This year the day when clocks were advanced one hour was the second Sunday of March and they returned to Standard time the last Saturday of October, so beginning this week, our area has returned to “Eastern Standard Time.” Time is an important gift and we should be careful how we use it. In the 3rd chapter of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, many kinds of time are noted, but in the New Testament book of Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 15-16, we are cautioned to be careful how we use our time “because the days are evil.” (1183)

Electoral College
08/11/06

Tuesday of this week, “the Tuesday after the first Monday of November,” was National Election Day in the United States of America. On that day, citizens who have a Voter Identification card plus a self-identification card such as a Driver’s License were permitted to vote for their choice of President and Vice-President at designated voting places. This year an extraordinary number of citizens cast their ballots (whether on that day or with “early voting” ballots on previous days) for the candidates of their choice. However, actually the official election of these two leaders has not yet been completed, for, according to the U. S. Constitution, the official election of these two officers is the responsibility of the Electoral College, whose electors cast their ballots on “the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December.” The common meaning of “college” is “a school of higher learning” and it was at a college that my wife and I first met, but the Electoral College signifies “a body of electors chosen to elect the President and Vice President of the United States.” Each of the fifty states selects the same number of electors as the total number of Congressmen and Senators that state has and it is the duty of these electors to elect the top officials of the nation. It is a very strange, complicated procedure, but it is in accordance with the Constitution, which was ratified in 1788 and revised in 1804. It is not the only element in the Constitution or traditional custom that ought to be changed to fit the modern age. Even portions of the Bible need to be interpreted in consideration of the situation at the time they were written and conditions today. (1184)

Round Robin
08/11/11

The common meaning of “robin” is “a North American songbird having a rust-red breast and gray and black upper plumage.” A common meaning of “round” is “circular,” but the third definition of “round robin” found in my dictionary is: “a letter sent among members of a group, often with comments added by each member in turn.” Sixty-three years ago, the six siblings in my family began a “round robin letter” which continues to make its rounds today. A couple of weeks ago, I received an envelope containing six letters from my elder sister in Pennsylvania. After reading the letters, I took out my old letter, added a new one and sent them to my younger sister in Illinois. She will add her letter and send them to our youngest sister in Michigan, who will add her letter and send them to our eldest sister in Illinois who will send them to our brother in Illinois who will send them to our sister in Pennsylvania. When I lived in Japan, my elder sister lived in the Congo (Zaire) in Africa and our eldest sister lived in the state of Oregon. At that time, the round robin letter traveled around the world as we continued to keep in touch with each other. Our parents both died when they were seventy years old and all six of their children have now passed that age. Presumably, “round robin” is derived from the French term for “round ribbon” in reference to a petition to the king which did not have one name at the top of a list of petitioners to avoid severe retaliation against one person, but included the names of many in circular fashion. The round robin letter has been a source of encouragement and exhilaration for all of the Offner family. (1185)

Oklahoma
08/11/15

During the 48 years I served in Japan, where I was called a hakujin, or “white man,” I sometimes took a white piece of paper, held it against my skin and explained to people that my skin was not “white,” but “colored” just like the skin of everyone else, whether Japanese, Africans or Indians. All human beings have colored skin even though the color is different. Now that a person with dark-colored skin has been elected as the next president of the United States of America, I hope that the racial prejudice which has been such a shameful element in our country’s history will be honestly recognized and eventually eliminated. When the “white” Europeans began to settle in the eastern part of North America, “black” Africans were bought and sold as slaves and “red” Native Americans, who were misnamed “Indians,” were pushed off of their land and forced to move to the West. In 1834, the United States Congress formally established an area called “Indian Territory” for “Five Civilized Tribes.” On November 16,1907, that territory was officially recognized as the 46th state, named Oklahoma. This name, derived from one of the tribal languages, means “red people.” The spelling and pronunciation of the word spelled r-e-d calls attention again to the irregularity and unconformity of words in the English language. A word with the same pronunciation, spelled r-e-a-d, is the past tense of a verb also spelled r-e-a-d, but pronounced the same as a word spelled r-e-e-d. Substituting words beginning with “l” in place of “r” results in similar inconsistencies: “led,” “lead,” and “lead.” Whether we are speaking about people, countries, languages or religions, we do not find any of them perfect. (1186)

Kennedy Assassination
08/11/19

Forty-two men have served as presidents of the United States of America. Eight of those men died while serving their terms; four of them were assassinated. Because the man who will become the 44th president on January 20, 2009 is not “pure white,” he will require special protection by security guards to thwart any attempted assassination. It was on November 22, 1963 that John Kennedy was assassinated by an unhappy resident who had renounced his U.S. citizenship and was attracted to communism. The assassination occurred in Dallas, Texas, as the President was riding in an open limousine with his wife, the Texas governor and his wife and a Secret Service agent through the crowd-lined streets from the airfield where throngs of people greeted him. As the limousine turned a corner, three shots were fired from a 6th floor window in the Texas School Book Depository. Two bullets hit the president, one in his head and one in his neck. Although he was taken immediately to a hospital, he could not be revived. I clearly recall my reaction to the events of that day. I was at the University of Chicago where I attended a class that evening and heard the startling news. It was Friday; I was scheduled to preach at my home church on Sunday and had prepared my sermon. The next day, however, I prepared an entirely different sermon, titled “While He Is Near,” using Isaiah 55:6-11 as my text. That sermon began with these words: “A rifle is aimed and fired. A man collapses and dies. A nation is shocked and mourns. A world is stunned and confused. The course of history quivers and goes on.” It was my hope and prayer that that terrible event would cause people to stop and think, repent of sinful acts and renew their faith in God “while He is near.” (1187)

Thanksgiving
08/11/23

Expressing gratitude or thanks for the kindness or helpfulness of others is a basic characteristic of thoughtful human beings. Although prayers directed toward divine beings are mostly requests or petitions, ethical believers will also include expressions of thankfulness in their prayers. Considering the fruitful harvest that regularly occurs during the fall season, it is not surprising that ceremonies, rituals and customs related to thanksgiving are common in all religions at this time of year. In old Japan, the month of November was the month a night was chosen for the emperor to silently enjoy, along with innumerable invisible kami, eating the first rice dish made from the new harvest. Since 1948, November 23 has been celebrated as Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan, when the importance of labor and the production resulting from labor is recognized and commended. In the United States of America, from the time of the first pilgrims, a Thanksgiving Day was observed during the month of November. In 1941, Congress designated the 4th Thursday of November, Thanksgiving Day, as a federal holiday. Some churches hold Thanksgiving Day services on that day. The birthday of an older sister of mine is November 28, which often coincides with Thanksgiving Day, and one of my granddaughters was born on November 26 in the 62nd year of Showa (1987), so the order of numbers designating her birthday (62-11-26) may be read in either direction. Plutarch, a famous Greek scholar in the first century wrote these words: “The worship most acceptable to God, comes from a thankful and cheerful heart.” It is advisable to have such a heart all year long. (1188)

Saint Andrew
08/11/28

The word “saint” has different definitions depending on its context. In general conversation, to call someone a “saint” implies that that person is morally and ethically a good example for others to follow. The person who freely gives his/her time and energy to help others may be called a “saint. ” In the New Testament, this word is used for all Christians, meaning those who confess their faith in Christ and become members of the church. Consequently, many New Testament letters are addressed to the “saints” of that area (note Romans 1:7, Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, as examples). A third meaning refers to a person who has been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. The given name of such people is usually preceded by the word “Saint.” Of course, all twelve of the disciples of Jesus have been canonized and are now called “Saints.” “Andrew,” derived from a Greek word meaning “manly,” is the name of one of them and although there are two different stories regarding his call (John 1:35-42; Mark 1:14-18), it may be that Andrew was the first one to respond to Jesus’ call to become a disciple. All of the saints canonized by the Church have feast days, which are also designated by the Church; the feast day of Saint Andrew is November 30. The Sunday nearest St. Andrew’s Day has been designated the beginning of the Advent season, which is also the beginning of the church year. According to tradition, Andrew became a martyr and was crucified for his faith, but humbly requested a different shaped cross than that on which Jesus died and the X-shaped cross on which he died is now called “St. Andrew’s cross.” (1189)