Category Archives: Opinion

This is where I post my opinions on various subjects

D&D 5e Character Races Compared

July 4, 2018 AttilaDimedici

I play Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, I game master a regular gaming session. I was talking with one of my players about creating a character for a new campaign I want to run. In that conversation I realized that some of the races available to play have distinct advantages over others. In particular, I realized that in Fifth Edition the human race is the least desirable to play. So I decided to go over the player character races and rank them from the most desirable to the least desirable. While there are some objective criteria for this, it is primarily a subjective evaluation. However, I believe you will find my evaluation useful.

So, I used the comparison of Human to Human, Variant to set the base for comparing the races. I am assuming that these two choices are equal.

Human

+1 to every ability score, which is 6 ability score points

Human, variant

+1 to 2 ability scores (2 points)
Feat of choice
Proficiency of choice

If you look in the Players Handbook (PHB) under character classes, you can trade the option to gain two ability score points for one feat. So that gives us one feat equals two ability score points. Which leaves us with one proficiency also equals two ability score points. I am skeptical of that last, but will assume it to be true. For the purpose of this review I am going to assume that a specific proficiency is equal to a proficiency of your choice, except where everything else is equal. Then the more broad the options you get to choose from the better.

Based on this, I think that Half-elf is the best race choice.

Half-elf

Cha +2, two other ability scores +1 each
Darkvision
Advantage vs being charmed and cannot be magically slept
2 proficiencies of choice
Extra language

Compared to the standard human, they get 4 ability score points and two proficiencies of choice(equivalent to 4 more points). In addition to that they get the ability to see in the dark and an extra language. Finally, they are harder to charm than normal and cannot be put to sleep using magic. Based on the metric of comparing human to variant human, half-elves have the equivalent to about nine ability score points vs six for humans.

Originally, I intended to put them in order, but I realized that this is not practical (I may make a list in order at the end).

The next race I want to evaluate is Drow Elf. I think in a standard campaign they would rank at the bottom equal to human or perhaps just a touch higher. In a campaign where the party spends little time outside during the day, they rank much higher.

Elf, Drow

Dex +2, Cha +1
Proficiency in perception
Advantage against charm save and can’t be put to sleep by magic
Long rest is half as long
Disadvantage in Sunlight
Cantrip at 1st, and spell at 3rd, and 5th levels
Special weapon proficiencies
Superior darkvision

    They get 3 ability score points plus a proficiency in perception (equivalent to 2 more ability points). Then they start with the Dancing Lights at 1st, get the Faerie Fire spell at 3rd, and the darkness spell at 5th level. Those are not particularly powerful options, but are still quite potent. Drow elves, like all other elves, get to take a long rest in half the time it takes all non-elven races. Their darkvision has a 120 foot range as opposed to an only 60 foot range for other races with darkvision. That is however offset by the fact that they disadvantage on attack rolls and perception checks in direct sunlight (sunlight sensitivity). Finally they gain a proficiency in rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.
    Looking at that, it seems to me that the sunlight sensitivity offsets being able to see further than others with darkvision, but their ability to see in the dark is still an advantage over humans. On the other hand, the weapon proficiencies are probably irrelevant. If you are going to use those weapons you are probably playing a class which gets the proficiency anyway. The spellcasting ability they get is almost the equivalent of the Magic Initiate feat, which makes it essentially worth 2 ability score points.
    Now that I have actually gone over the abilities a Drow Elf gets, I may have underrated them to begin with. My estimation is that their abilities are the equivalent of 7 or 8 ability score points. Not as good as the Half-elf, but still pretty good.

I was not sure where I was going to go next, but I think I will go through the rest of the elves, starting with High Elf.

Elf, High

Dex +2, Int +1
Proficiency in perception
Advantage against charm save and can’t be put to sleep by magic
Long rest is half as long
Special weapon proficiencies
Cantrip
Extra language
Darkvision

The high elf gets 3 ability score points and a proficiency in perception (which is worth 2 more points). Interestingly, as I actually start this comparison, high elves rank lower than I thought. The extra language is nice and the fact that the cantrip is of your choice, rather than predetermined as with the drow elf, makes that almost equal to the spell casting that drow get. The weapons proficiency is slightly more useful than that of the drow. All of that being said, when you count the darkvision and the shorter long rest, I think that high elf comes out at 7 ability score points, just behind the drow.

Which brings us to the Wood Elf

Elf, Wood

Dex +2, Wis +1
Proficiency in perception
Advantage against charm save and can’t be put to sleep by magic
Long rest is half as long
Special weapon proficiencies
Speed 5’ faster
Hide more easily in natural surroundings
Darkvision

The wood elf gets 3 ability score points and proficiency in perception, bringing them to 5 ability score points. They get the same weapon proficiencies as the high elf and darkvision. In addition, they move five feet a round faster and can more easily hide in natural surroundings. How much that is worth will depend on the Dungeon Master(DM). I think I will put them dead even with the high elf at 7 ability score points.

Which brings us to the Dwarves. I will do the Hill Dwarves first.

Dwarf, Hill

Con +2, Wis +1
+1 Hit point per level
Tool proficiency
Advantage and resistance to poison
Special weapon proficiencies
Double proficiency bonus on History checks for the history of stonework
Darkvision
Speed 5’ slower

So, like many of the other character races, the Hill Dwarf gets 3 ability score points, a choice of one of three tool proficiencies, and an extra hit point per level. I am going to make a value judgment here and say that, unlike the perception proficiency which elves get, this is only worth one ability score point, but the hit point per level easily makes up for that. That puts the Hill Dwarf at 5 points. The weapon proficiencies are perhaps as useful as the High and Wood Elf weapon proficiencies. The thing that makes dwarves great (both Hill and Mountain) is their advantage on saves against and resistance to damage from poison. Plus they get darkvision. If not for the slower movement speed, I would put Hill Dwarf ahead of High Elf and Wood Elf. In a campaign where their bonus on history checks for stonework is important, they would come out at close to 8. Otherwise, they are probably about 7.

So, now we get to the Mountain Dwarves, which I have always preferred to the Hill Dwarves.

Dwarf, Mountain

Con +2, Str +2
Tool proficiency
Advantage and resistance to poison
Special weapon proficiencies
Double proficiency bonus on History checks for the history of stonework
Special armor proficiencies
Darkvision
Speed 5’ slower

The main difference between the Mountain Dwarf and the Hill Dwarf is that the Mountain Dwarf gets an extra ability score point, but doesn’t get the extra hit point per level. What they get instead is extra armor proficiencies. Unfortunately, in my opinion, if you are playing a class where you would take advantage of those armor proficiencies, you get them from the class itself (which raises the idea in my mind of playing an armored mountain dwarf wizard or sorceror). Of course, now that I think about it, the +2 to Strength means that you are likely to choose a class where one of the tool proficiencies is more valuable. Personally I rate Mountain Dwarf one half point higher than Hill Dwarf.

And now we come to the Halflings, which I am going to consider together because I don’t consider them that different (I am sorry for all of you lovers of playing halfling characters, none of whom I have met).

Halfling, Lightfoot

Dex +2, Cha +1
When you roll a 1, you can reroll
Advantage against being frightened
Move through space of larger creature
Hide behind larger creatures
5’slower

Halfling, Stout

Dex +2, Con +1
When you roll a 1, you can reroll
Advantage against being frightened
Move through space of larger creature
Advantage and resistance to poison
5’slower

Both types of halfling get 3 ability score points, the ability to reroll a 1 on any of the 20 sided die rolls (attack, saving throw, and ability check), advantage on saves vs being frightened, and the ability to move through the space of a creature larger than themselves. Both are also 5 feet slower per round than most. The Stout Halfling’s advantage on saves against and resistance to damage from poison is pretty nice, but the Lightfoot Halfling’s ability to hide behind larger creatures (such as other members of the party) will probably come up more often. My estimation is that, while there are some real roleplaying opportunities with the two Halfling races, they are the first races I have reviewed which are weaker than Human.

Next I review the gnomes. First up are the Forest Gnomes.

Gnome, forest

Int +2, Dex +1
Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saves vs magic
Darkvision
5’ slower
Minor Illusion cantrip
Speak with small beasts

So, a Forest Gnome gets 3 ability score points, advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saves vs magic, and darkvision. That is worth 5 points. In addition they get the Minor Illusion cantrip and can communicate with small beasts, worth about another point. However. they move 5 feet per round slower than most which takes away a bit. I would rank them a little better than Halflings, but still weaker than Humans. This is a race you would play for the roleplaying possibilities, not for the strength of the race.

Now for the Rock Gnomes.

Gnome, rock

Int +2, Con +1
Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saves vs magic
Darkvision
5’ slower
Proficient with tinkers’ tools
Make tiny clockwork devices

Like the Forest Gnome, the Rock Gnome gets 3 ability score points, advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saves vs magic, and they get darkvision. Which I consider to be worth 5 points. In addition they get a proficiency in tinkers tools, with which you can make a tiny clockwork device (I think from my reading of the rules, that you would be able to build larger, more complex devices, but the DM would need to determine the cost of materials and length of time to do so). After some thought, I think this gets to the same game strength as Human, at least in the right campaign world, even with the 5 feet per round slower movement rate.

That brings us to Dragonborn.

Dragonborn

Str +2, Cha +1
Breath weapon
Resistant to damage of breath weapon

The Dragonborn appear fairly powerful at first blush, they get a breath weapon. However, they only get 3 ability points and resistance to damage of the same type as their breath weapon. That is kind of cool, but I do not think it adds up to as much as the 6 ability points standard Humans get. While there are some roleplaying possibilities with this race, I don’t think it would be as much fun as either one of the Gnomes or one of the Halflings.

On to the Half-orc.

Half-orc

Str +2, Con +1
Darkvision
Proficiency in intimidation
When reach 0, but not killed outright, go to 1 hp (1x between long rests)
Extra die of damage on critical hits

This is a race which is probably pretty powerful as one of the fighting classes (Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger). You have the 3 ability score points, darkvision, and Intimidation proficiency. In my mind that is pretty close to the 6 ability score points that Humans get. Then you get the extra die of damage on every critical hit. Finally, the Half-orc gets to, once between long rests, choose to go to 1 hit point when they would otherwise be reduced to 0 hit points without being killed. Combined with the correct decisions regarding weapons, feats, and class abilities that should make a pretty powerful fighting character. The roleplaying possibilities make this rank up there with Half-elf.

Finally, we have the Tiefling.

Tiefling

Int +1, Cha +2
Darkvision
Resistance to fire damage
Thaumaturgy cantrip at 1st level, Hellish Rebuke spell at 3rd level(1x/day), Darkness spell at 5th level (1x/day)
So, 3 ability points, darkvision, and resistance to fire gets us to at least 5 points. The spells add another point. That makes this the equal to Human. If the DM and the player role play this properly, it should be a bit more fun and a lot more difficult to play than a Human.

At some point I may make a second blog reviewing the Character Races in “Volo’s Guide To Monsters”, but I am done with this for now. Perhaps if people request it (or maybe even if they don’t), I will go through and do blog entries on what I think would be the best classes for various races.
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Opinion

Anger

March 3, 2014 Viola

Warning: Rant ahead. If you are the easily offended or quick-to-judge type who call this a first-world problem, please, enlighten me so we can all be perfect like you.

“Anger”

Not the most creative title, I know, and I typically try to be creative…

but today, it’s not happening, and I don’t care.

You may think this is a rant against the weather people…it’s not.

You may think this is a rant against my boss or work in general…it’s not.

You may think this is a rant against God…it’s not.

If you think this is a rant about anger, you win the internet! After all, I did attend the Madeline Kahn School of Anger Management

You may also think, “Wow, she overreacts a lot!” How observant of you! Show me someone who *NEVER* overreacts, or thinks they have it All Together because of their faith, or because they were Saved, or whatever reason, and I’ll show you someone who is *LYING* to themselves! (or perhaps, you only think they think they have it all together)

Today is Monday, March 3rd.

Remember that pesky 12-inch snowstorm that was to happen, oh, about 14 hours ago…and ala Scumbag Steve, it didn’t?

I’m okay with that. Weather is weird. It’s challenging to predict. I get that!

“16 days until Spring! :-)” someone wrote on Facebook.

If this means crocuses will come up even quicker, then yay!

Weather prognosticators make mistakes. We ALL make mistakes. It happens!

But what got my back up was the hype.

It all started Thursday: Schools, government buildings,major road construction projects, etc., were canceled.

Even my fencing class was canceled! Attila and I *LOVE* to fence (as you probably figured out from the photos that adorn his blog)

Road treatments like sand and brine are everywhere.

And it was all for naught. What a waste of time and resources!

I pull up weather pages, and gleefully sit back and read slamming and damning comments towards the weather “experts” for getting this one wrong, for the lack of accountability, etc.

(An aside: In medieval times, theatregoers threw produce at the actors if they didn’t like the performance. Not much has changed in 415 years.)

Now I’m not one to lend credence to conspiracy theories, but when the weather sites and news stations call for a significant weather event to take place, and they hype it *FIVE DAYS* ahead of time…well, I can’t help but think they did it for the ratings, or whatever agenda they’re currently pushing.

And so, when it became apparent that today’s Snow Day was not to be, along with schoolchildren and other working stiffs, I returned to my Monday routine…

Except there was a growing ball of anger in the pit of my stomach.

Before leaving for my “real” job, I log into my website, to try and build up my little business. Yes, I have my own business as an independent consultant (I sell Tastefully Simple), and while I do try to be positive and upbeat, I’m here to tell you that most, if not all consultants, have bad days here and there (read: we do not poop rainbows all the time like a nyan cat).

Nothing goes right: My contacts are lost. Emails don’t go through. The “How May I Help You” button, is not there to help me.

Remember that ball I mentioned that’s in the pit of my stomach? It grows a little bit bigger.

So I head into work. I am at my desk and my boss gives me grief about something I did incorrectly on a project I busted my butt on for the last month. I was under a tight deadline, and I missed stuff. My bad; I should have been more diligent.

And said ball grows larger.

My work day ends, I get into my car, and begin to drive home.

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know the road conditions:

<swerve>

<thump>

<tires squeal>

<thump>

Come to Pennsylvania! The potholes are lovely this time of year!

The growing ball continues to expand.

So I turn on the radio to listen to Praise music, and I pray as best I can with eyes open, while driving, and I ask God to take this ball of anger away before I drive into a ditch…

And I hear about the One who goes before me, to paraphrase Isaiah…

The relief is not instantaneous (I’m still somewhat fuming…ugh) but I am not afraid to lay it all before Him. I know He accepts and loves whingy little insignificant me.

I do have a point here, really, I do!!

And that is, when we’re children, we’re taught that no problem is too big for God to handle. The inverse is also true: No gripe, no first-world problem, is too small, too unimportant, for God. Don’t ever feel afraid or embarrassed to bring your problem to Jesus. Whether your toddler made a mess on the kitchen floor that you just cleaned, the guy in front of you in traffic just got on your last nerve, or if you’re like me, and you have a temper tantrum at the drop of a hat…whether your issue is anger, impatience, jealousy…NONE OF IT is too insignificant for God. If you let Him, He will remove it from your stressed, burdened, heavy-laden heart/mind/soul.

Opinion

Dr. Gosnell, Jerry Sandusky, Columbine and Sandy Hook

April 28, 2013 AttilaDimedici

     I am not sure that I am going to publish this. I am not sure if I can say what is on my heart without sounding like I am blaming the victims, or blaming people who committed one sin for the acts of people who committed another sin. I am pretty sure I will change the title from “Tragedies and God” to something else if I manage to get this to come out the way it sounded in my head when I was first inspired to write this.
     I was inspired to write this when I read yet another blog post discussing the meaning of the Dr. Gosnell case. I suppose I should first give people a little background on Dr. Gosnell. Dr. Gosnell was a doctor who performed abortions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In particular, he performed primarily late term abortions on women who were members of minority groups. There were numerous complaints about him over the years submitted to many different authorities. Yet none of those authorities did anything about him until one of his employees caught the attention of the Drug Enforcement Agency for illegal dispensing of prescription narcotics. This led the DEA to launch a raid on Dr. Gosnell’s clinic, where what they found horrified them. They passed on what they found to a grand jury. In the end, the grand jury indicted Dr. Gosnell for the murder of one woman and seven babies.
     The grand jury that delivered the indictments started their report with the following paragraph: “This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women. What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable, babies in the third trimester of pregnancy – and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors. The medical practice by which he carried out this business was a filthy fraud in
which he overdosed his patients with dangerous drugs, spread venereal disease among them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels – and, on at least two occasions, caused their deaths. Over the years, many people came to know that something was going on here. But no one put a stop to it.”
     Every time I read that last sentence I want to cry, no, I don’t want to cry, I start to cry. What makes me cry is the knowledge that grand jury’s previous sentence understates it; many people not only knew something was going on here, they knew that something very wrong was going on here. But for various reasons they chose to look the other way. These were the same sorts of people (and perhaps in some cases the same people) who not only looked the other way, but worked to cover up the actions of Jerry Sandusky.
     In both cases, people in positions of authority knew that someone was taking advantage of and bringing harm to some of the most vulnerable in our society. Jerry Sandusky and Dr. Gosnell preyed on those whom God repeatedly warned in the Old Testament that He would come to the defense of, the widow and the fatherless. While those these two men preyed upon may not have technically been widows or fatherless, God does not withhold His judgment based on technicalities. How a society which allows such people to prosper, if only for a time, can expect to escape judgment is beyond me. And indeed we have not escaped judgment. For the same mindset that allows people to turn a blind eye to Jerry Sandusky and Dr. Gosnell leads to the school shootings at Columbine and Sandy Hook.
     I did not phrase that last sentence quite right, the cultural roots that lead not only to someone doing the things that Jerry Sandusky and Dr. Gosnell did but to others turning a blind eye to it and covering it up are the same cultural roots that lead someone to cavalierly shoot as many children and other innocent people as possible before law enforcement arrives. All of these things come from a sense that the only accountability is that which might be visited on one by one’s fellow man.
     I ran out of time at this point and was going to come back and write more later, but the inspiration left me. I think this is too important to leave unpublished, so I am going to publish this as it is. Perhaps God will inspire me to come back to this subject and post more on it later.

Opinion

For Our Struggle Is Not Against Flesh and Blood

April 28, 2013 Viola

As you can tell, I wrote this last week. I wasn’t quite ready to publish it and thought I might polish it up and take some of the edge out of it, but that never happened. I wanted to put this out there for people to comment on. I hope I do not offend anyone with what I am saying.

The date: Friday, April 19, 2013
The inning: Top of the 6th
The score: 8-1 Phillies
The pitcher: Doc, a.k.a. “Dr. No-No”

Ordinarily this game would have me stoked, but with what’s happening in Boston, I am a mess. I am in utter despair. There’s a young man who is foolishly running from the authorities. Were he to turn himself in, at least there’s a chance that he will be redeemed. If he decides to go down in a blaze of glory like his brother, he will most likely be killed, and that most likely means an eternity in Hell.

And an eternity is a pretty long time, people.

It’s not that I didn’t mourn for the victims and their families. But I am praying that God’s Spirit can reach the heart of this troubled youth. And I am desperately praying for him and his soul.

I check the news again, having not looked in the last ten minutes, the curse of living in a 24/7 news world, and I read that the 19-year old has been apprehended. And I breathe a sigh of relief, and pray he doesn’t do anything stupid. I return to pray for those who lost loved ones in the Marathon.

I read people’s online reactions, and while I cannot blame people for reacting the way they did–let’s face it, this is a heart-wrenching thing–I found it all a bit appalling and shameful. Oh, not those who have never experienced God’s grace, but how can I, or anyone else, who has experienced God’s grace and forgiveness, not wish to see it extended to someone else, even someone who has done what this young man has done? Am I really any better than this young man?

The answer is NO! It is only God’s grace that has kept me from committing some act as heinous or worse.

Let me back up a bit here.

I am glad the authorities found him and apprehended him peacefully. I am thankful no other members of the Boston P.D. were hurt or killed while they took him into custody. I am relieved he is off the streets and “behind bars”. I fully believe that God has given the government the authority, and duty, to enact justice, but I am called to forgive.

As a Christian, I feel it is wrong for to call for his head. I’m sure many of the posters who were ready to metaphorically throw stones are parents of 19-year-olds themselves. But I’m not saying *their* 19-year-olds would ever DREAM of committing such acts of anarchy or terrorism. And yes, people were reacting out of the thought that the victims might have been their loved ones and were voicing their opinions extemporaneously. I will not blame them for their reactions. I was angry, too, when the story broke! I wanted to see someone pay. This young man committed the worst act mankind can do: he preemptively caused the deaths of innocent people!! It was “murder…refined, cold-blooded, deliberate murder”, to quote Arthur Conan Doyle. The fact that more people weren’t hurt or killed was a miracle and a mercy.

However, the eyes of the world are upon us this week. Shouldn’t our behavior be a bit more compassionate? Romans 12:19 pops into my head, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord”. Can we not try to take as a model the families of the Amish school children who were shot in 2006? On the day of that shooting the grandfather of one of the victims said to his younger relatives, “We must not think evil of this man.” Other members of that Amish community established a charitable fund for the family of the shooter. To give another example, when Jesus was suffering pain beyond my imagining on the cross, cried out to God, “Father, forgive them.”

We are fearful of those countries that hate us and would see us perish, through whatever means necessary. We wish and pray for a more peaceful world. Yes, we should pray for those countries whose governments are corrupt and do evil to their own countrymen and conspire to commit heinous acts on others across the globe because of some religious or political agenda.

But change, positive change, does not happen at the national level. It happens individually. We are to take love, LOVE! Not hate, and pass it on, and not just when it’s convenient and feels good. Now here’s my crazy idea: If every one of us were to start praying for him, and ask God’s Spirit to touch him, maybe some positive change will occur deep down in his tortured soul. And maybe that change will spread to others who share the violent goals he embraced.

Let me close with Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Opinion

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

December 16, 2012 Viola

(Edited to expound: When I started to blog about the events in Connecticut earlier this week, the pain was still too near, too raw, and I couldn’t get my point across the way I intended. Even in the best of times, I am challenged to compose and blog succinctly and clearly. Now that the initial shock and grief has passed, I can write with a clearer head.)

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel/And ransom captive Israel…”

I’ve sung this carol innumerable times in my life. Yet in light of Friday’s massacre in CT, today the song holds new meaning for me. I sing it with a renewed fervor that I selfishly never associated with it before (yet should have).

For years, O Come, Emmanuel was just another Christmas carol, one I sing along with, perhaps joyfully in the car by myself, at Christmas services with my brethren in Christ, or whilst caroling door-to-door with friends.

Indeed, many different bands and singers have done this very piece justice since its origin so many centuries ago. Perhaps one of my favorites of this carol was the arrangement by Mannheim Steamroller. There is a reverence in this adaptation that few other versions hold. With its haunting Gregorian chant and hand-bells, I heard it for the first time in the early 90s and have loved its beauty since.

Today I mourn with the rest of my country in the wake of Friday’s tragedy. Like others, my faith struggles as the joy of the Season is ripped so harshly from us. How do I go back to being joyous at what should be a joyous time of year when I am grieving? How can I celebrate when I am dying inside?

I turn to the Bible to renew in my heart the promises made good by God as promised (foreseen?) by the prophets thousands of years ago. I queue up the hymn and let its beauty flow over me as I seek healing, and perhaps, answers. As I listen, I hear an aching and an anguishing in the arrangement and lyrics I never heard before. I sing along with a heavy heart, as one would during a funeral dirge. While singing, I am reminded of Eowyn’s lament during her cousin Theodred’s funeral in J.R.R. Tolkein’s “The Two Towers”.:

An evil death has set forth the noble warrior
A song shall sing the sorrowing minstrels of Meduseld
That noble cousin, who always held me dear
Now is held in darkness, enclosed

And I am convicted to juxtapose and compare it to this ages-old Antiphon:

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave

You may find it an odd thing to compare Eowyn’s Lament with a Christmas hymn. We think of Christmas songs as joyous compositions. But there’s no denying the hymn and the lament touch on the sadness of death. The former mourns “the noble warrior” who lost his life on the battlefield, and the latter is a lamentation about the separation from God. There is a cry for deliverance from slavery (spiritual as well as physical), sin, and death. In the hymn and in Tolkein’s composition, both view death as a very sorrowful, and final event. (And while Gandalf does mention an Afterlife to Theodred’s father, Theoden King, in an attempt to offer sympathy and consolation, Eowyn’s Lament still speaks of a finality. By the way, this is not a bash on Tolkein’s works, nor am I diminishing the importance of the hymn.)

But O Come, Emmanuel is different. As I said above, there is anguish and heartache in this hymn. Many times in the Old Testament, we read of Israel’s sacking by Assyrians and Babylonians, and others. This is Israel’s song of oppression and captivity. It is a lament of countrymen, women and children who have perished, it is an ache for God’s deliverance. It echoes David’s plea in Psalm 13, which Phil blogged about this week:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Unlike the Lament, in the hymn, O Come Emmanuel, there is a message of HOPE:

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

In the fulness of time, in God’s own careful planning, the Son was given to us, who bore the iniquities of us *all*, not just Jerusalem, but every human being on this earth. Through Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection, “death’s dark shadows” were “put to flight”.

Indeed, there is victory in Jesus even in the midst of sadness and tragedy.

Father, God, thank You for fulfilling Your promises to us in the form of Your Son, Jesus. It is through Him, Emmanuel (God with us), that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. By saving us, He has given us “victory over the grave”. I pray that those grieving in Connecticut, will have a closer walk with Thee, even if they are not already believers. I pray, Father, that you give them healing and the peace that surpasses all understanding. Oh Lord, Jesus, come, and draw Your children unto You. Give them peace, comfort and joy knowing that You are in control.

“Veni, Veni, Emmanuel”.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Opinion

Better Than I Deserve

November 22, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Last night, the night before Thanksgiving, our congregation had a Thanksgiving service. Earl Anders was invited to speak. The theme of his message was an explanation of how he chooses to respond when people ask him the classic question of greeting, “How are you doing?” He told us that he usually answers, “Better than I deserve.” When he said that it struck a chord with me. That is so true of my life. My whole life has been better than I deserve. But it is more than that, I do not deserve what God has done for me. I am not deserving of the mercy that God has shown for me. Paul referred to himself as the worst of sinners. I cannot even give myself that much credit. I am just a mundane, everyday sinner, but a sinner nevertheless. There is some benefit to be had from turning around the worst of sinners, but what glory does God gain from the mercy He has shown me? How can anything repay God for the great mercy He has shown me? Yet He has shown that great mercy to me nonetheless. I will be forever grateful for what He has done for me. I am completely undeserving of the wonders God has performed for me. I cannot find the words to express what my life would be like had God given me what I deserve. I deserve to be poor and starving, not healthy and well-fed.
God gifted me with loving, God-fearing parents who set my feet on the right path. I am grateful that they set such a solid basis for my life that when I realized how empty of meaning everything this world had to offer was, I knew where to turn. Then when I had wasted many opportunities in my life to serve Him, He brought a wonderful woman into my life to be my wife. She has inspired me to seek what new opportunities He has for me. And just as I had been beginning to think that I had wasted all opportunities to use my gifts to make a difference for Him, last night after the service a man from my congregation approached me and asked if I had any ideas about how to address a problem the ministry he was involved with was having. It was a problem that bore close resemblance to a problem I had recently solved for my job, so I knew exactly what the solution was and was able to direct him in the right direction. I am so blessed by God in all manners and I continue to pray that He bring new opportunities for me to serve Him.

Opinion

So, You’re Not Perfect?

June 9, 2012 AttilaDimedici

I came across this elsewhere on the web and thought it was something people should see and think about.

There are two important things to take away from this the first is, if you think you’re not good enough for God to make use of you, are you really worse than these people? Everyone of the people on this list are considered great men or women of God…and in every case, the failure listed above is not the only way that they fell short of God’s will.

On the other side are those of you who think you have it all together, are you really so conceited as to think you are better than the people listed above? “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…” Romans 3:23

Opinion

The Feral Cat

March 24, 2012 AttilaDimedici 1 Comment

When my wife and I moved into our current house, we wanted to attract a stray cat to keep mice and other vermin away. We cannot have a cat in the house because it is very small and my wife is allergic to cats. After we got settled in, we stopped by our closest neighbors house to visit. They have several cats. During our conversation, the subject of a stray cat came up. They said that they were feeding a feral cat that came around (as well as the three cats that lived with them). It was very skittish about people and would bolt at the first sign that someone was getting close. They suggested that if we would start feeding it, they would stop feeding it and it would very quickly start spending more time around our place. That sounded good to us, so the deal was struck.

So, we started feeding the cat by putting food out on our back porch. We saw it from time to time, but it was truly as skittish as our neighbors had said. If it even saw us watching it out the window in our kitchen door, off it went. Then one night after about a month or so, my wife calls me on the cellphone from our driveway (she gets home from work later than I do). She tells me to come right down, there is something I have to see. It turns out that one of our neighbors’ cats had decided to come over and sample our food. My wife was afraid of scaring him off, which is why she called me on the phone rather than coming in and getting me. She need not have worried, the cat (an orange tabby) was perfectly happy to have people around. As soon as I came down he rubbed up against my legs and demanded my attention. After a couple more months we caught yet another of our neighbors’ cats eating out of the bowl we put out for the feral cat. My wife was worried that the feral cat was not getting any to eat and wanted to put out more food. I, on the other hand, did not want to make our neighbors’ cats fat. We compromised by increasing the amount of food slightly.

On several mornings we came out to see the food bowl tipped up on its side against the chair on the porch. My wife was convinced the feral cat was threatening us, “Give me more food, or that will be you one of these nights.” All that being said, we decided that now that we had a pretty good idea how much cat food we were going through, we should buy less expensive food in larger quantities. So, we did. We got the new food and put it out one night. The next morning the bowl was tipped over completely and the food was scattered on the porch. It did not look like the cats had eaten any of it. We put the food back in the bowl and added just a little bit more. I figured once the feral cat got hungry enough it would eat the food.

After two days with the food remaining untouched, my wife wanted to buy “better” cat food but I was convinced that sooner or later the feral cat would give in and eat the food we provided. After a week I had to admit that either it was getting food somewhere else, or it was just that stubborn and would not eat the food for any reason. We decided to get some “better” food and mix it with the cheap stuff we had. The first night we did this, the next morning it appeared that the cat had picked the “good” stuff out and left most of the other food. We continued to mix the food and just did not put out as much. This appeared to work, sometimes it took a couple of days but all of the food got eaten.

Then I got lazy. Instead of mixing the two, I just put the “good” stuff on the bottom. The next morning, the bowl was tipped and the cheap stuff was scattered on the porch. Then I had an inspiration, we had a little bit of meat stock left over from a meal we made, so I put some of it over the cheap cat food. The next morning, not only was the cat bowl knocked over, it was knocked completely off the porch. But all the food was gone. That has been the procedure since then. When we prepare a meal, we keep the meat drippings or the excess stock that we will not be able to use up before it goes bad and put a little bit over the cheap cat food. We can always tell how well the offering was received. Some mornings only a little bit of the food is eaten, other mornings it is all eaten. But we can tell when we have a home run when the bowl has been knocked off the porch and all of the food is gone.

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