Back from Nicaragua

I spent some time right after Christmas visiting family in Nicaragua. It was a wonderful time in the Land of Lakes and Volcanoes. I admit that I often get bored looking at other people’s vacation pictures, so I feel a bit guilty sharing my own. But we can make this fun.

In confirmation class, I’m gearing up to start a long unit on the Ten Commandments. I love discussing the Ten Commandments because we discover a framework for living lives shaped by God’s law. We also, however, remember that we are sinners, living in that Lutheran paradox of captive/free, saint/sinner, both/and. Sometimes, living according to God’s law, we need to break other parts of God’s law. Loving your neighbor gets tricky. To use fancy philosophical language, we have to decide if we will use consequentialist or deontological reasoning.

Anyway, let’s play “What Commandment(s) are Relevant Here?” with my Nicaragua travel photos.

This is outside the Cathedral in León. They’re selling many things including religious artwork: Angels, Mary, the Jonas Brothers…

Idolatry? Lord’s name in vain?

All around Nicaragua, there are lots of opportunities to purchase bootleg DVDs.

Thou shall not steal?

This photo was snapped from a Nicaraguan newspaper. Roughly translated into English: "Reign of God on earth with Santa's SAM-7."The caption: "Victor, a 12 year old Nicaraguan boy, tries out an earth-to-air SAM missle that's being exhibited during "Happy Park."

In these days after Christmas, I think about the reign of God. I think of Mary singing about the hungry being filled with good things. I remember the good news of great joy that the angels declared. I don't think of children trying out missles before Christmas. I remember that our world does need a savior.