Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne is a Scottish song written by Robert Burns in 1788 and sung in the English speaking world each year since as the New Year dawns. Burns’ lyrics were inspired heavily by an earlier work composed by James Watson in 1711. Watson’s poem, in turn, has roots in an earlier old Scottish song from Scotland’s ancient past.

The words auld lang syne are indeed Scottish and the literal word-for-word translation means “old long since.” A better, more clearly understood English meaning, however, would be either “long, long ago,” “days gone by” or “old times.” So the opening line of the chorus for auld lang syne would be best understood as saying “for old time’s sake.” The words till dine in the fourth verse mean “dinner time.”

The song begins, then, by asking poetically, "Is it best for us to forget our loved ones, those who have gone before us?" The chorus, then, answers this question by saying, “No, it is better to remember our loved ones fondly and in memory of all the good times they gave us for old time’s sake."

It breaks our heart to lose our loved ones to death, but in reality for those of us in Christ we know this is really not true. They have not been lost at all to death, for death no longer holds sway over those who lived their lives faithfully in Christ due to His victory over the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:57). Because of the great sacrifice He made on our behalf we are assured that our loved ones have been called home to life eternal with their Lord. So let’s all take a cup of kindness yet in their memory for auld lang syne, and rejoice in their blessed state they now are living!

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup and surely I’ll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend and give us a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will of draught, for auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

True Peace

John Lennon was a very talented and gifted musician, author and composer. Few have achieved the level of success that John Lennon did during his lifetime. But as is the case with most individuals thusly blessed, John Lennon was misguided in many ways. One of the most hauntingly melodic pieces ever written was the song called Imagine. As beautiful a tune as this is, it is simultaneously revealing of the fallacious notions that are brought forth in its lyrics. Within this song are found the following words:

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No Hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

Although desiring to live in a world full of peace is admirable, indeed, it will never be achieved simply through human means. True peace only comes through the only One Who is able to offer true peace to the world, and that comes from Jesus Christ, the begotten Son of the Almighty Living God. On the day of His glorious birth, an Angelic Host proclaimed to the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks at night as they were abiding in the fields, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14 [NKJV]) Just before His death as Jesus entered triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem the people shouted, “Blessed is the King Who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38 [NKJV]) Yes, it is only through Jesus Christ that true peace can be achieved. Any attempt outside of Christ by men is doomed to failure. Jesus gives the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7 [NKJV]) because only in Him will one be found righteous because He is righteous and no longer will one be considered an enemy of God due to his or her sins (Romans 5:10). It is this peace with God that Jesus was referring to when He stated in John 14:27 [NKJV], “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Praise God He does exist, He loves and He gave us His Son (John 3:16)!

Abomination of Desolation

Hanukkah is also called the Feast of Dedication, the Feast of Lights, or the Feast of Maccabees. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament as the events memorialized in this holiday festival took place when the Jewish people broke free from under the Syrian rule in 165 BC and the Temple worship was restored and rededicated. This time frame is referred to as the inter-testament period.

Although it is not mentioned in the Old Testament (it is mentioned in the apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees), it does make its way into the Gospel of John in chapter 10. 22. Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in Solomon's porch. 24. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (John 10:22-24 [NKJV])

The Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes, in fulfillment of prophecy, had defiled the Second Temple by offering as a sacrifice a swine on the altar in the Temple in mockery of God and the Jewish people and their faith in AD 169. Daniel foretold of this in Daniel 8:11-13 [NKJV], 11. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. 12. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered. 13. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, "How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?'' Daniel later added, “And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31 [NKJV]).

Jesus spoke that when His disciples see the "abomination of desolation...standing where it ought not," they should flee (Mark 13:14-18; Matthew 24:15). The abomination at the time of the Maccabees was the sacrifice of a swine on the altar in the Temple and in the First Century it also occurred at the Destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Under the New Covenant of Christ in which we live, the Temple is the tabernacle of men (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) who comprise the body of obedient believers in Christ (Ephesians 1:22). The "abomination of desolation" today is the negative thoughts and intents of man's mind that should no longer be there since we have been reborn in Christ with the first resurrection, which occurs at our immersion into Christ (Romans 6:1-4). We are no longer bound to rules and regulations as the people were under the Law of Moses, but are now under universal principles found within the Law of Liberty (James 1:25) in Christ Jesus. Violating these principles causes all kinds of psychological and spiritual fear, grief, anxiety, depression, guilt, etc. These negative attributes should not be in our heart if our mind has been rededicated and we are in communication with the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to cast away the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) from our consciousness or resurrect our minds to a state of peace (Galatians 5:22). We will then no longer be the enemies of God (Romans 5:10) we once were while we remained in rebellion against Him.

Good and Perfect Gifts

It is that time of year again when people are seen everywhere rushing around in search of the perfect gift to buy for their loved ones. As long as it is kept in its proper perspective, this is okay, but please remember that the gifts that are the best, the gifts that are the most valuable and the gifts that are most precious are not found in a store and neither do they come bundled up in bright wrapping paper bedecked with ribbons and bows. No, the best and perfect gifts come from our Lord above.

Our Founding Fathers seemed to grasp this concept of all gifts coming from God our Creator, Sustainer and Savior better than most people seem to do today. In 1781 Thomas Jefferson stated,

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot…sleep forever."

Yes, what Thomas Jefferson said centuries ago is absolutely true today. All of our liberties and all of our blessings come from God. James writes, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17 [NKJV]) We must never forget this as individuals, and we must never forget this as a people. I believe it is also very important, too, that our children taught and understand where our blessings and liberties derive, and that they understand the high price it has cost so many to ensure our liberties are protected. John Quincy Adams, our nation’s sixth President, commented for the benefit of future generations to come regarding the great payment the founding of our nation cost his own generation by saying,

“Posterity – you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”

God’s greatest gift of His boundless grace was His love for mankind in that He demonstrated this love by giving us His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. It was freely bestowed upon us, but it was not without cost. This gift came with the ultimate price tag: The suffering, shed blood and death of Jesus on behalf of all of mankind. We must never forget this! Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 [NKJV]) What a great and perfect gift, indeed!

A Light For My Path

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

“I am the Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

Ever since I was a small boy these have been some of my favorite passages of Scripture to be found anywhere in God’s Holy Writ. Although it is true that many things we hold and cherish most dearly in our youth often fade as the years flow downstream along the currents of time, my appreciation for these passages has increased, rather than diminished, through the subsequent intervening years. Even though these verses were written millennia ago, I believe they continue to hold significant lessons for us today.

One of the lessons to be gleaned from these verses is that the world around us is in utter spiritual darkness. The opportunity to achieve advanced education may be at all time record high levels, but true and abiding wisdom among men has plummeted reciprocally. Just as in the days of Paul in the first century when he was penning his epistle to the church in Corinth, mankind has exchanged the wisdom of God in favor of the foolishness that emanates from the darkness engulfing the world. The darkened world rejects the Light of the glory of God in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:31), Who is the Light of the world (John 8:12), and the Word of God incarnate in the flesh (John 1:8).

Secondly, we can discern that our pathway is distinct. Our Lord has marked out a plan of salvation from our sins and disobedience back into His fold, and that path is through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). As we walk with the Lord we need have no fear as to where He will direct us (Psalm 23:4). The way of the Lord leads to blessings and holiness, for the way of the Lord ultimately will bring the believer to the very throne of God!

Thirdly, we can see that as we tread each footfall of our journey, the Light of Jesus Christ illuminates our path ever greater, directing our steps towards our goal. We can almost hear Him whisper softly and gently in our ear, "I will teach you patiently, my child, to learn to walk by faith, and not by sight. But do not fear! For I will not suffer to leave you in the darkness and blind." The Lamp of the Word of God will not be extinguished, and it will not lead us astray, for it is none other than Christ Himself. Be encouraged that the way of salvation has not been hidden under a bushel but is manifest for the entire world to see. Jesus Christ is the way, He is the Word and He is the Light. Let the Light of life guide you as your pilgrimage takes you through this world of darkness today!