Take hope: even if the predictions aren’t true, it won’t be the end of the world.

It will be either mass hysteria or mass sarcasm today as the End of the World comes or passes on 12/21/12.

Whether it’s your last day or simply the first day of winter, let me be the first to mention Kari’s new ebook Plenty is free today for Kindle.

As for our family, 12/21/12 means celebrating the end of the world as we knew it six years ago.

That day The Dutcher entered our lives, the boy with the Christmas Day due-date who showed his true colors in arriving four days early. Every since he’s been ahead of the curve. Until today 2012 has been marked by using fractions:

He was five-and-a-quarter by Spring…

became five-and-a-half in the Summer …

then five-and-three-quarters on the first day of Fall…

(and five-and-seven-eighths sometime in there…)

Is a full integer Six today.

Our justice-loving boy has been hoping, waiting and asking all year to get the LEGO Police Station #7498. For ages 6-12. Did you read that? Six-to-Twelve!

Thankfully the boy has grandparents who listen well and give generously.

I haven’t had the talk with our son about the significance our society (and the ancient Mayans) placed on this date. He’s simply been learning to count in fractions on the way to whole numbers. No more decimals (for a day), no more fractions (for a season). The boy is an integer whole. Which, as he and I are both learning by experience, is like putting together the pieces of our brokenness on the way to integration — wholeness.

Sometime today this justice-loving father and son will talk about why his wanting to restore order and justice to the LEGO universe is a metaphor for the true Integral One, the Law-Giver and Mercy-Maker who personally came to right all wrongs. He will set everything right on the real Last Day. Everything sad will become untrue.

For starters he and I will busy ourselves building a three-story police station. Hauling off crooks to a holding cell, so they can consider the errors of their ways. Each will be treated with dignity, given a space to repent, and in the LEGO jail anthems of heaven will be happily pounded into their heads. Let’s start with the one our kids call “that whistle song.”

You too will like “that whistle song.” If your hope is beyond the Fiscal Cliff and extends past the End of the World, then you too will have reason to rejoice. This joy will lead you to happily give away your time, talents, and treasure so others can live in a just society, not having to steal to “get theirs,” because you happily gave up some of yours.

Sing along, share the joy, and let this first day in the rest of your life find you becoming more courageous, generous and wise. We each are born into a land were “were sins and sorrows grow,” and “thorns infest the ground,” a broken land where the “curse is found,” yet He comes to make His blessings flow.” As deep as sin and suffering and fear and shame hide, His Love and Mercy are deeper still. He will right all wrongs, complete every fraction, and restore the whole world to integrity. No more brokenness, disappointment, joy-lessness.

Gotta go … hear a birthday boy stirring. It’s the end of the world as we know it. The boy and I feel fine.

“You make known to me the path of life;
in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
—Psalm 16:11

Joy to the World¹, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

More great songs on Folk Angel‘s new album Glad Tidings (Christmas Songs, Vol. 4)