Review: Against the Protestant Gnostics

Against the Protestant Gnostics by Philip J. Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent and important read for discerning the creational disdain and Gnostic influence in Western Society and in Protestantism in particular. Without a good Creator who cares about all of his creation, we have no New Heavens and New Earth. Without a communal salvation, we have no individual salvation, and salvation is not found within our individualistic sin-ridden self, but outside of ourselves in the objective work of Christ. We have a personal faith, but it is a creational, personal, and communal faith. This is orthodox Christianity and salvation.

2nd Reading of certain sections for use in the writing of my second book.

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Review: The Meaning is in the Waiting: The Spirit of Advent

The Meaning is in the Waiting: The Spirit of Advent by Paula Gooder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Used it for a 5-week Advent study in my parish. Good scholarship and application. I would use Paula Gooder again in a heartbeat.

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Review: Against Heresies

Against Heresies by Irenaeus of Lyons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A foundational book for understanding Patristic and Eastern theology and ecclesiology. Some of the earlier books are mind-numbingly detailed about many or the heresies contained in the various Gnostic groups and heresies. Will try to add to this review in specifics at a later date.

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Review: Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers: Focusing Concern and Action

Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers: Focusing Concern and Action by Christopher A. Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very thoughtful and good introduction to the Church Fathers especially written for those from a Protestant and Individualistic Christian background. Unfortunately, most clergy and parishioners will likely give up too early on this book before understanding the benefits awaiting them. I would recommend this book to anyone, but I would encourage you to read the final chapter first (chapter 8) so as to bolster your resolve in your discipline to understand and benefit from this book.

Christopher Hall has a strong grasp of the audience that he is writing to and does a nice job preparing them not only to be introduced to some of the central Western and Eastern Patristic Fathers but also to the importance of the Fathers for belief and life today.

The last chapter alone is worth the purchase of the book especially for American Christians who value their Christianity and their "personal relationship with the Lord" as the center of their universe because they believe themselves (and God's interest in them) to be what really matters in life. Not only will the truths in this book potentially ground a teachable heart to the Word, Scriptures, it might also save some from turning away from Christianity and/or the church.

Too often, people not grounded in the core foundations of their faith (and how their beliefs have been handed down from the faithful Covenant People of God) will begin to be disillusioned with Jesus and his church when the church disappoints them, or when Jesus doesn't show up on their timetable. When questioning their faith, and while the world around them offers them so many options, a foundational "big picture" and the greatness of God in the past, present, and future can help stabilize them as they navigate life.

My criticism of the book also comes from statements in the last chapter which reveal the "Protestant Angst" that comes in admitting that we all have informing traditions. The writer (quoting another Evangelical Scholar) talks of the need for different traditions not to "shove their traditions on others". Valid point, but that said, the phrase should be "shove SOME of their traditions" on others. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, DOES have quite a bit of core tradition that MUST be insisted upon, and no cross-reference verse in scripture is going to clear it up for us outside of communal interpretation.

The concepts of a slowly gathered Biblical Cannon developed over thousands of years IN AND WITH THE COVENANT COMMUNITY OF CHRIST (both old and new covenants) insists that there is core tradition that we DO require, no matter what Christian group it is. There was a relationship with a Covenant Communal People and our Lord before a word of Scripture was penned (both Old and New Testaments). Through the Holy Spirit, He used the faithful people of God in Community to pen, gather, assemble and disseminate our Holy Cannon. He used the Councils to clarify the Incarnation of Christ, and the Triune beliefs about our saving covenant God (neither of the words " Incarnate" or "Trinity" appear in scripture). This means that the Spirit DOES establish and insist on good and non-optional tradition, no matter the tensions and mystery involved. Supra-scriptura, YES; Sola-scriptura has NEVER been true.

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Review: The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I decided to read this book after watching an extensive documentary on the life and writing of J.D. Salinger. Of course, I first heard about the book because it is still required reading in schools across the country to this day. It is a book that continues to sell very well and it is seen as an American Classic.

As a Christian (and a pastor), I also believe it important to understand and interact intelligently with literary forms which reflect or influence today's art and culture.

I am not sure if this is the most influential book regarding the "stream of consciousness" approach to writing, but it certainly engages the style in a profound way. On the one hand, the author is trying to represent an adolescent who is seemingly more introspective, thoughtful, and resentful than most of his peers. On the other, the writing seems to purposely revel in dialogue which often seems to have little purpose, coherence, or direction. The style seems purposeful so as to communicate a disdain for the key subject matters (shallowness, phoniness, and greed) coupled with a pretentious obsession to critique and morally rise above them.

It may be that this book resonated so deeply in the American culture in its day (and now) because Holden Caufield is such a contradictory, narcissistic, moralistic and hypocritical character while finding people with similar characteristics (and especially the older generations) "goddamn" unbearable. Holden has little hesitation in playing judge, jury, and executioner for whoever he finds as an irritant. Few escape his scrutiny, and most people he meets wear the tag phony, largely, it seems, because they do not share his acidic resentments and simplistic unnuanced judgments. And yet, Holden DOES see legitimate patterns of hypocrisy and phoniness; shallowness and greed; selfishness and brutality. However, he seems to see little value in constructive and sacrificial ways of approaching these challenges or problems.

While Holden may be written to reflect a spoiled middle-class teen with profound resentments and cynicism, his characteristics seem celebrated not critiqued. This seems to reflect on Salinger's upbringing, life, and his intolerance of others. Holden Caulfield in the quintessential individualist who makes himself both his own deity and self-destroyer at once.

Could it be that this book resonated (and still resonates) with an American audience because it reflects the hypocrisy and pain so many have experienced as they were reared in families, institutions, and places of worship that they have encountered? Does it resonate with them because of the frustration, boredom, and emptiness of the expected directions that they have felt entombed to fulfill? Does it reflect our own struggle with our empty individualism, narcissism, hypocrisy, and greed; our own search for our own kind of moral superiority? I think so.

I didn't care much for Holden until the end of the book, where he finds himself challenged and softened by the love of a child. To his credit, he allowed it to happen.



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Reflections on the Beginning of a New Era

Wonderful article. May the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul be one of those small parishes.  May we truly be used to unify and invigorate Christ's "one holy catholic and apostolic church."

https://livingchurch.org/covenant/2018/07/18/reflections-on-the-beginning-of-a-new-era/

Toward Vocation

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three-thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:41-42

...each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him. For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one in body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them... Romans 12:3-5

Often, we think of ourselves first of all in relation to the way that we provide for our and our family’s needs. We might hear some appreciative wife state that her husband “is a good provider.” While, certainly, this is a good thing, is this the starting place for our values? How does our Lord Christ think of us? Does what we do in our professions truly make us who we are?

Father Andrew has some helpful words in this regard.

There are three ways in which we can look at what we do as an occupation, a profession, or a vocation. Roughly speaking, our occupation is that which we do because we think we will or because we have nothing better to do; our profession is that which we are paid to do.  But our vocation is that which we do because we believe the great God, Who gave us our mind and intellect and affections and every part of our being, is calling us to use all that He has given us in harmony with Him, to glorify Him, and to express His beauty in our life.

Our Lord had His times of recreation, when He went to the marriage-feast at Cana, or the house of His friends at Bethany.  But all the while He was doing the will of God.  His occupations were lifted to the level of vocation.  He had His profession.  He was a carpenter, and doubtless a very good carpenter.  But His profession all the while was fulfilled in obedience to, and to the glory of, His Father.  Again, to the Scribes and the Pharisees their religion was their profession, and to many people it is just an occupation, but our Lord’s religion was always a vocation.  He went to His prayer with a sense that He was called to it.  He came from His prayer with a sense that all His life was to be lived in communion with His Father.

Father Andrew’s astute observations coincide with the words of Jesus when he detailed and explained the futility of life associated with mere existence and self-provision in Matthew chapter 6:

For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

We must pray that our religion may never drop into being occupation or profession, but that the occupation and profession and the whole of life may be lifted to the level of vocation, that God’s Holy Spirit ‘may in all things direct and rule our hearts.’ (Father Andrew, Meditations, pg. 257)

May our prayer and aim be that our Kingdom vocations will saturate and direct how we occupy ourselves in the created order and engage the professions to which we are tasked. When we see everything in our lives as Kingdom energy, our discernment grows.

-Father Tom

My first published article (weblog of "The Living Church Magazine").

https://livingchurch.org/covenant/2018/06/19/the-optional-bishop/

Review: Meditations for Every Day

Meditations for Every Day by Father Andrew
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A devotional for those who don't want easy answers to complex problems. While each day's devotion is concise, there is a lot of knowledge packed into those few paragraphs.

Father Andrew gives Christ-centered instruction from an Anglo-catholic viewpoint.

I have found this devotional to be a true treasure.

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Review: The Epistles of St. Ignatius

The Epistles of St. Ignatius by Ignatius of Antioch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very helpful. Great exposure to St. Ignatius direct writings via audio book.

St. Ignatius is an important early church father who was a ministry compadre of Polycarp and likely was discipled directly by the Apostle John. One of the earliest church Bishops, Patrisitic Fathers, and Martyrs, his writings give us insights in the beliefs and ecclesiology of the earliest of Christians.

Found it at loyalbooks.com. A website for downloads of free audiobooks.



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Review: Luther and His World

Luther and His World by Graham Tomlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic little book. I would start a college student, new seminarian, or lay-person in the church with this book before introducing them to anything else on Luther. Well-done, balanced, and with helpful artwork and drawings. Tomlin has a profound sense of the time-period and an excellent grasp of the complexities, contradictions, and impact of this man called Martin Luther.

Highly Recommended.

I would also add that he is an Anglican Scholar, and this also makes me proud! (when too often I am not!)

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Review: In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri J.M. Nouwen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a short, well-written, and important book for any parishioner who wants to be encouraged regarding what is at the heart of serving others in the church, and any clergy person who wants to be encouraged regarding what is at the heart of pastoring.

Henri Nouwen understands the heart of true leadership as reflected by the teaching of the beatitudes, and the spirit of the New Testament pastoral epistles. A book I plan to read, again, and again.

Successful Professionals and impatient salesmen beware!

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Timing

It has been speculated that the ministry of Jesus Christ spanned three years, culminating with his death around the age of thirty-three.  We know that Christ started his public ministry with his baptism by John the Baptist; following this he began teaching and healing in Capernaum.  Around the same time, Christ chose twelve specific disciples who in time would lead, teach and train others for future ministry and leadership.

That said, have you ever wondered what the life of Jesus consisted of before age thirty?  We have some scriptural evidence, but not much.  What we do know is that Christ submitted to his Father's will and timing.  In the right “season” Jesus began his ministry, called his disciples, taught the crowds, healed people, and challenged the surface religiosity of the Jewish leaders.  During Holy Week, at just the right time, he clearly revealed himself to be the Son of God.  He rebuked and confronted the corruption in the Temple and no longer side-stepped full-disclosure regarding his Messianic position and mission.  At just the right time he died, rose again, and ascended to the right hand of the Father.  God's timing is always perfect, but it often makes little sense to us.

In Acts chapter one, the soon-to-be-born Jewish Church had some clear direction.  They were to prioritize bringing the gospel and thus, the church to their local fellow Jews.  After this they were to continue to bring the good news into regional areas (even among the Samaritans who these Apostles had been reared to despise) and finally to the end of the world.

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8)

As a church we are called to have a concern for our local, regional, and global world.  It is our desire to support brothers and sisters in Christ anywhere they are located, and it is our desire to be a part of reaching people with the gospel wherever humanity is found.  However, the Scriptures are not clear on when, what, or how the church should go about this.  Like everything else in the Kingdom of God, submitting to God's timing and “seasons” is an important part of discerning his will.

In this season of Lent, where we open our hearts to those things that may hinder us from loving our God and loving our neighbor, will you pray with me about what the Lord would have for us as we faithfully seek to reach others for Christ? As we begin our 12^th year as a church, please pray with me regarding this time in our church’s history.  Pray that we might have the discernment to see where God is going before us to use us as light and salt.  Pray that he will bring just the right people to come alongside of us, and to minister with us.  Pray that we would have a soft heart to his Word and Spirit, and that we will truly be led to follow “his Kingdom come, his will be done”.  Pray that we would have the wisdom to see his clear leading, and the courage and power to follow him.

As we looked at in a recent sermon, let us claim the promise that “they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar with the wings as eagles. They will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint”.

-Father Tom

For Life and Lordship

There are a lot of beliefs swirling around in our popular culture claiming that “science has proved” such and such, or “archaeology shows” this and that is true.  I am a big fan of thoughtful research among trained and accountable professionals in these helpful and important fields of pursuit.  However, there are many in these fields that interpret their data and skew their results based on the desired outcomes for which they have been hoping and looking.  Of course, we Christians are constantly faced with these same temptations.

Many actors, politicians, activists, and others on social media are far less careful and down-right manipulative with the data and truth they want to find.  Thus, if the pop-music-star, Lady Gaga, sings that her sexual orientation and/or behavior has nothing to do with the complexities of her sin, hurts, skewed knowledge, or influences – she is just “born this way” – how dare we “judge” that she is possibly wrong?  Most in her general profession is praising her, the masses are cheering her on, and pundits are telling her how wonderful she is…so how could she be wrong?

In a similar vein, many in our culture will tell us, “a woman’s body is her own to do with what she wants” which wittingly or unwittingly buys into a belief-system that proclaims that the fetus she is carrying is not a human being made in the image of God.  The scriptures tell us that mankind outside of redemption and a desire for Christ as their Lord, can only (spiritually) come up with skewed truth and a destructive way of life.  The culture, those in important academic disciplines, medical fields, economic intelligence, Law Enforcement, Justice, etc., all have philosophies, theologies, and beliefs by which they live and choose (or ignore) real “life”.

But the foundations for the Church of Jesus Christ have not changed.  God as creator made us in his image.  Unlike we human parents that rear children to grow and function someday on their own in society, God never stops “parenting us” or being our Lord.  The creator dictates to the created what is true and real, NOT his selfish, rebellious children that still want their own ways on their own terms.

 For those Baptized and committed to Christ, we are thus, NOT OUR OWN.  Listen to the words of Paul by which he reminds the Corinthian Church of their identity:

I Corinthians 6:
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

The context here in these chapters in I Corinthians is NOT the world outside of the church, but of the community inside the church.  Taking one another to court, using grace and Christian freedom for immorality, and the blatant disregard for new believers (not yet grounded in their faith), are just a few of the many problems Corinthians are facing. They had gotten turned around regarding who their Lord was, and what it meant to follow him.

A foundation in our evangelism and discipleship is NOT making sure that new believers have all of our political, personal, and moralistic viewpoints, but a grounded and growing understanding in the absolute Lordship of Christ in their motives, lives, and behavior. We clergy are NOT to be gurus, but under-shepherds.  The Historic Church (i.e., the church “catholic”) has never changed her beliefs regarding the life of the unborn, holy matrimony, or the place of suffering and mourning in the world in which we now live. As believers, reconciled to the Father through Christ, we are AGAIN his true spiritual children through adoption.  Thus, we are now able to obey and follow him for the right reasons in the power of the Holy Spirit. Through Word, Spirit, and Sacrament, we are now marked, guided, and move as a united church family.

We can lead people to the waters of Baptism through faith in Christ, but in the end, when the going get’s tough, a person (or person’s) must choose Christ as their Lord above all else.  This change of heart, is a true and miraculous work of God. We hold true to the challenge of helping those we are reaching that they must “count the costs” of what it means to follow and know Christ.  As we graciously teach, lead, and shepherd people through the clarity that Holy Scriptures give us about the value of human life, (and the application for the unborn, ageing, dis-formed, or those suffering in illness) we should ourselves pause and consider.  We too must recommit to the reality that Jesus Christ is our Lord, and that he knows BETTER than we do. 

You see, the temptation to see ourselves as the master of our own bodies and directions stays with us to the grave.

Father Tom

Review: The Epistle to the Romans

The Epistle to the Romans by Karl Barth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I stopped reading at about 150 pages, but will continue to use this book as a reference work as I exegete and engage the book of Romans in my ministry and in my theological development.

I so appreciate Barth's Christ-centered soteriology and his very OTHER, transcendent God. That said, I am struggling a bit with his seeming need to make salvation so esoteric that it smacks of an etheral form of Gnosticism. Of course, this is seen in other places where he works out his "dialectic theology" (and perhaps this theology finds it's rational end in Bultmann?). It seems erroneous to this reader that the incarnation, the cross, and the resurrection would be so "other" as not to occur in time and space. I believe the Patristic Fathers and Magisterial Reformers would agree.

That said, Barth's Doctrine of God has greatly encouraged this reader in seeing the Triune God in much more of his majesty, and it is a mistake of many that Barth does not respect and try to do justice to both Holy Scriptures and a historic orthodoxy. That said, Barth's modernistic shaped Biblical Theology, could use a dose of humility and pause regarding those on whose shoulders he builds; those in the past that enable him to have a scriptural text or theology by which to begin his work.

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Review: T&T Clark Companion to Reformation Theology

T&T Clark Companion to Reformation Theology by David M. Whitford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Racism: A Brief History

See the below link for a well-done presentation regarding the historical definition of racism and how it has progressed in the History of the United States especially as seen through an Anglican lense.

Highly Recommended as an informative introduction to the topic.

https://youtu.be/o6hhR57IVSs

Review: Pastor

Pastor by William H. Willimon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Recommended for clergy seeking to pastor with integrity, authenticity, and honesty regarding the challenges and joys of pastoring...especially within a Protestant milieu. Some of the final chapters on the calling of the clergy, ordination, the long view on ministry, etc. will be a great comfort and reminder for those who seek to pastor in keeping with the calls of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.

The author shows experience, theological and historical competence as well as nuance in application to life and pastoral leadership. The author also exposes the reader to some seemingly helpful books for further study and consideration.

The Author is at his best when he is not trying to legitimize Wesley or the anti-intellectual revivalism and pietism of Methodism. That said, he largely focuses on solid historical sources and solid theological influences of the 20th century.

However, I did find his chapter on preaching disappointing and typically Protestant...i.e., worship is seen as an event that is really about preaching that is dependent on a creative orator/leader instead of the historic idea of corporate worship as a spiritual discipline for both congregation and preacher (the main reason I give this book a 4-star rating instead of a 5) .

While it is important for clergy to be competent in knowledge and growing as communicators (stewardship), parishioners should be coming to worship their God and desirous to learn (faithfulness), not looking for excuses not to listen with an expectation to be titillated. When we succumb to this consumerist tendency we do not challenge our people to greater growth and thoughtfulness but enable their self-centered default settings and laziness. This approach to preaching has a long history in Protestant and Puritanical/pietistic preaching (although, I believe that Luther and Calvin would have chafed at it).

In the end, I recommend this book and will continue to refer to and use it in my future ministry and development.

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A Very Scary Situation

The fall season is probably my favorite time of the year.  The cooling down of temperatures, the changing of the leaves, the wearing of sweatshirts, the eating of homemade donuts (and, of course, good coffee) and, also, on the negative side (for me); Halloween.

If the "celebration" of Halloween disappeared, I would not shed a tear.  While we don't have the space to develop it here, Halloween is loosely connected to the earliest of pagan holidays and focuses on death, fear, and (in America) gore.  Now, I don't want to be misunderstood here.  I am not “anti-Halloween” completely as we celebrate it in the states either.  My children have always gone “trick-or-treating” with an emphasis on fun and a kind of “scary ghost story around the fire” atmosphere.  However, whatever one thinks of Halloween, it does highlight a few realities that many people would rather push out of their minds: death is real, fear often permeates our lives, and the Spirit-world...well...exists.

Not surprisingly, the Scriptures contain a story where all three of the above-mentioned realities come in to play.  It is a scary witch story which God uses to teach a King (and us) some valuable lessons. 

As you might remember from our recent sermon series in I Samuel this past Summer, King Saul was given the difficult task of being Israel's first King (the nation of Israel wanted a king “like the other nations”).  Unfortunately, for the people, Saul was a lot like them.  I Samuel 13 tells us that he was impatient with God's timing and felt that he needed to step in and help God out to make sure he didn't lose too many troops before an important battle.  In I Samuel 15, Saul believes that when God says: “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey (NRSV) that it is just a general command that needed some “tweaking” so as to be more culturally relevant.  I mean, hey, any smart king of that day would keep the best of the spoils of war (including the Amalekite King as a trophy), as this helps a king build up his treasury and gives him something more to give to God at worship...so if it is doing some good, it must be OK, right?  I mean, God needs our help, doesn't he?

Interestingly, when Samuel rebukes Saul for his wickedness and self-idolatry in I Samuel 15:23, he likens his sin with...wait for it...divination.  Divination is used by those who are separated from God and his Kingdom yet still wish to connect with the spirit-world and with those that have died.  Instead of a relationship with the Lord, these persons, through witchcraft and “magic”, take short-cuts in the hopes that they will attain great success, power, and wealth.

In I Samuel 28 we find King Saul in a miserable place emotionally and spiritually.  He no longer has the prophet Samuel in his life and is cut off from gleaning any wisdom or direction from the Lord.  In his desperation and fear, King Saul decides that he will try to glean some insight from those who are connected to the dead and the demonic.

In going to the Witch at Endor in I Samuel 28, King Saul continues his pattern of “going his own way” as reflected in I Sam 13 and15.  Saul is so desperate and full of fear that he goes to dark magic to try and communicate with Samuel for help.  The witch is shocked when she does bring Samuel back from the dead, revealing that whatever her connections with the underworld, she has never seen something this graphic!  On top of this, God allows Samuel to talk with Saul!  Saul's attempt to contact Samuel works, but his fear and desperation do not dissipate.

Before we get too critical of Saul, we should take a hard look at ourselves and our own decision making as believers and as churches.  The scary part of this story has little to do with the Witch at Endor.  The most frightening part of this story is how easy it is for us to place our plans ahead of the Lord's plans; to rely on our wisdom and cultural assumptions, before relying on the lived-out gospel; to hold on to our own fear instead of embracing a courageous trust in him, his ways, and his outcomes.  We too often look for this world’s “magic” as a replacement for the difficult “obedience” that even the Lord Jesus Christ had to “learn” in submitting and honoring his Father.

What might the Lord desire from us this year as we seek to "love him with all of our hearts" and "love others as we love ourselves"?  Where might he already be working amongst people that he wants us to love with the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Where might we be a support to people in our neighborhoods, a listening ear in our families, a touch of care to those who know little of true love?  How might God use us to further build the Kingdom of God?  I am not sure, but I know that he is the one who truly changes lives and converts hearts.  He can be trusted, and he wants to use us as his hands, feet, and mouth.

Will you join me in praying and seeking to be a people who strive toward these Gospel ideals?  The journey will often be hard and long, but as we focus on and listen to our Lord, it will be an adventure that we will never regret.

Father Tom

Review: The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

2nd Read. Highly recommended for people concerned with a more authentic and honest form of Christianity.

Those committed to the external realities of moralism (liberal or conservative) and those given over to emotional dishonesty, beware.

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Review: Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians

Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians by Stephen R. Haynes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful introduction to Bonhoeffer's life, ministry, and theology.

Readable with excellent detail and recommendations for further reading.

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Review: The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark A. Noll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid and worth the read if one wants to learn the roots of the anti-intellectualism, sectarianism, and creative-simplistic beliefs/movements that inform most Evangelicals.

While Noll is sympathetic to Evangelicalism, he is also honest about the bleakness of its future in having much depth of a lasting nature.



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Review: Within My Heart

Within My Heart by Michael A Van Horn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Extremely important book for those looking to discern the influences behind today's subjective, individualistic and populous Christianity. Many Evangelicals/Fundamentalists will be surprised to find out that both Kant and Schleiermacher are not only precursors to today's liberal/progressive theology, but also a strong and significant influence on their core ways of doing and thinking about theology and the church as the body of Christ.

We breathe in the Enlightenment and Modernity like air, but are largely unaware of what shapes our default settings when it comes to reading the scriptures, understanding theology, and pursuing faithfulness as the church of Christ.

A scholastic, but readable and important work. This book will challenge most pastors to a slow and disciplined read, but the fruits of the labor will be well worth the cost.


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Ready for Steak

Hebrews 5:11-14
About this, we have much to say that is hard to explain since you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.


Being healthy is a lot of work. As I have gotten older, it has become more difficult to live a physically healthy life. More comfortable habits have replaced the time and energy I used to have in eating a balanced diet, exercising, or managing stress. Easy food has often replaced healthier food that takes time to prepare. Sitting seems preferable to walking. Comfort food and drink more enjoyable than it often should be. Distractions to my time and energy constantly call my name…most of them “good” things.


But when we do not take the time to prioritize the important aspects of our physical health the consequences to our behavior are right around the corner. A week immune system means that we are more susceptible to illness, exhaustion takes its toll on our energy and emotions, stress wears on our joints or causes other kinds of maladies, heart attacks sideline us, strokes threaten to take our energy and mobility…we can either make the time for our health, or we can be forced to take the time on our backs.


In addition, our unhealthiness affects those whom we are called to love…including the stewardship of our own lives. We are more irritable, given to impatience, have less energy, and are less prepared for those unexpected or tragic occurrences that are bound to come up in our everyday existence. When we get sick due to our poor health, we expect everyone around us to care for us, feel sorry for us, and cater to our needs. Our health always affects our “families” and friends.


In a similar way, being healthy spiritually also takes discipline. Without it we are, as the writer mentions above, “unskilled in the word of righteousness”. We cannot eat or digest meat, because we do not want to do the work to buy, prepare, cook, and then chew it. Milk is in the fridge, is cold, tasty, and accessible. Easy-peasy.


So we are unprepared and immature once the temptations, distractions or trials of life come our way as if the scriptures do not repeatedly talk of such things. We want to follow the Lord as long as it doesn’t take too much work, sacrifice, or challenge to do it. But where in any area of the created order or human existence does little discipline and work equal helpful and productive results? Why do we think we can be spiritually lazy, and then not suffer the consequences for it in our everyday lives, families, and joy?


When the hard times do come, we are then beset by the familiar phrases: “this isn’t fair”, “I shouldn’t have to suffer”, “why me?”, etc. We drink milk for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then expect not to have protein deficiencies and diabetes. We face physical challenges with weak muscles and constant sickness that we can’t ward off and then marvel at the temptations to which we continually succumb. We don’t put on the armor of God or train our bodies, we just live like most other Americans who add certain aspects of spirituality to our lives while we engage in things that will always leave us malnourished and dissatisfied. We lack little discernment in distinguishing between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world because complexity and knowledge scare us. God isn’t our problem, we are our problem.


I Corinthians 3:1-3
And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?


The Lord calls us to life, hope, peace and joy. But it only comes his way through discipline with the Covenant Community of Christ and in our own personal discipline and training toward spiritual maturity. How are you pursuing your spiritual health?




Father Tom

“Old and New”

The asphalt driveway up to our house is about 50 yards long. Lining one side of the drive are seven trees that progressively go up with the drive to the house. When we first moved to Roanoke five years ago, I found out that mowing in these areas could be very hazardous and dirty work; very little would grow in these shaded areas. So, I decided to start looking for some ground cover which could keep the clay soil from eroding while adding beauty of the yard.

However, whether shaded or sunny, I found it very difficult to get most plants or grasses to grow well in the clay soil on our property. In some areas, I have added soil with mixed results. In the end, the plants that have done the best have had the clay soil removed and replaced with a new, rich, and black soil.

The season of Lent reminds us that this exercise, removing the old and replacing it with the new, is to be a lifestyle for the disciple of Christ. But similar to my planting experiments, we often try to add the new soil of change to the existing soil of our lives hoping for bountiful growth. It doesn’t happen, and thus, our spiritual growth looks wilted, tired, and hardly worth the effort.

Ephesians 4:
22 You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Repentance is about change; a change of thinking, and a change of living. Through the power of the Spirit, we can continually scrape back and dispose of the toxic soil of our poor beliefs shaped by our erroneous thinking, fear, and multiple idols. We are then able to fill the space left by this removal with the soil of humility and truth as found in Jesus Christ. In this process, we come to the authoritative Word of God NOT as book of suggested readings, choosing what we want to hear and what we want to ignore, but as the authoritative communication of our God regarding true life and salvation.

We must be prepared to change when the faithful incarnational community of Christ helps us see our poor behavior, ways, and hopes. We must hunger and thirst after righteousness, constantly assuming our need. We must replace the old with the desire for a changing heart, and thus, a continually changing of spirit and behavior.

Jesus is not in the “tweaking” business; he is in the business of transformation. Tweakers are those, who largely have little soil they believe they should remove. They don’t mind adding some new soil or ideas but are resistant to the removal of the soil to which they are accustomed. Those being transformed understand their need for a constant overhaul on a constant basis. Their need is great, and their freedom in Christ—freedom from their slavery to themselves, the kingdom of this world, and the power of the Evil One—continues to release them from their chains.

May Christ free us all. Thanks, be to God.

Fr. Tom Reeves

The Epistle - March and April 2017
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Father Thomas Reeves, Pastor/

The Importance of the Gathered Community

A comment on Matthew 18:20 by  PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, an Italian Archbishop (380-450 A.D.)

THE BEAUTY OF THE WHOLENESS OF THE BODY.: There are those who presume that the congregation of the church can be disregarded. They assert that private prayers should be preferred to those of an honorable assembly. But if Jesus denies nothing to so small a group as two or three, will he refuse those who ask for it in the assemblies and congregation of the church? This is what the prophet believed and what he exults over having obtained when he states, “I will confess to you, O Lord, with my whole heart, in the council and congregation of the righteous.”16 A man “confesses with his whole heart” when in the council of the saints he hears that everything which he has asked will be granted him.
Some, however, endeavor to excuse under an appearance of faith the idleness that prompts their contempt for assemblies. They omit participation in the fervor of the assembled congregation and pretend that they have devoted to prayer the time they have expended upon their household cares. While they give themselves up to their own desires, they scorn and despise the divine service. These are the people who destroy the body of Christ. They scatter its members. They do not permit the full form of its Christ-like appearance to develop to its abundant beauty—that form which the prophet saw and then sang about: “You are beautiful in form above the sons of men.”17
Individual members do indeed have their own duty of personal prayer, but they will not be able to fulfill it if they come to the beauty of that perfect body wrapped up in themselves. There is this difference between the glorious fullness of the congregation and the vanity of separation that springs out of ignorance or negligence: in salvation and honor the beauty of the whole body is found in the unity of the members. But from the separation of the viscera there is a foul, fatal and fearful aroma. SERMON 132.4-5.18


Simonetti, M. (Ed.). Ancient Christian Commentary (2002). Matthew 14-28 (pp. 80–81). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Prayer for the Victims of Addiction

Blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon all who through addiction have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to those who care for them, give patient understanding and persevering love. Amen.

It’s Hard to Fake Authenticity

Every once in a while, I get hooked into a documentary about art forgery.  It is amazing the detail and work that goes into a good forgery, and correspondingly, the hours and expertise it takes to spot one. 

But why make such a fuss over a good reproduction?  If a painting looks so much like a Picasso that no one else can tell the difference without a special scanning device, then why all the uproar? 

But for the art community, it does matter and it matters to the tune of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars.  A painting by Picasso holds great value and prestige not only because of the beauty of the painting, but because of the history, skill, and context of an artist’s life in a certain place and time.  Authenticity, i.e., artistic purity is highly valued.

Moralism is the enemy of purity, integrity, and authenticity.  On its surface, moralism looks

helpful, but the surface is deceiving.  Moralism is very concerned with what it does and how it looks.  It is obsessed with public relations and the perceptions of those that it is trying to impress or motivate.  Moralism, in its most basic definition, is the doing of good things, the embrace of good behavior, and the measurability of said things in comparison with others.  Moralism is self-serving under the guise of serving and sacrificing for others.  This is why it is such a dangerous, capricious, and duplicitous enemy.  It (and the Evil One’s subtle use of it) often fools us all.

Moralism produces visible and short-lived behaviors without changing a person’s beliefs and character.  In other words, if the “heart” of a person or an organization does not change, a lasting, loving, authentic behavior will not take root.  Integrity cannot be faked, and in the end, is seen most clearly when one has something to be gained or lost.  Only a “heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19-20) can be genuine in its intentions and good works.

Our true character is revealed when it matters when the pressure is on, and when doing what is right trumps every other option…even if it means our pain and discomfort.  We can fake activity and surface do-gooding, but our motivations remain what they are.  Only resurrection power that is welcomed and embraced can change the condition of our true character.

As we begin our series on the “Authentic Christian Life” in C.E. in September, we look to engage what the scriptures (and our Lord) teaches us about the importance and impact of genuine authenticity.  In his book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis challenges the common misconceptions often engaged by those who are more concerned with how they look, than with who they really are.  We will be using this book as we try to flesh out what it means to grow in our ability to be truly pure vessels; to be shaped and effective in the hands of our creator for Gospel and Kingdom living.  Come join us as we seek our God.

Love is Vulnerable

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and
your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to
make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not
even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little
luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of
your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will
change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.
To love is to be vulnerable.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

God With Us?

Roanoke Times Article #2

(bold indicates section that appears in the Roanoke Times)

Often we have this view of God as if he is like us.  Historically, this is most blatantly revealed through the supposed “gods” of Greek Mythology.  These gods fought among themselves, were vindictive, powerful, and highly selfish.  They were often jealous of one another, were sexually unfaithful to their spouses (including having sexual relationships with humans as it so pleased them), and ruled others through fear.  Interesting enough, when we read of these Greek gods, there is something internal to us that desires them to be just, fair, generous, and forgiving.  It is probably why we like Clark Kent (i.e., Superman) so much.  He is kind of like a good Greek god.

(the below section is the continuation of the above article)

However, this is backwards if we assume that the Holy Scriptures are reliable (yes, this is a big IF for many, but please hear me out).  It is we humans who are made in God’s image, not vice-versa.  It is not that God has treated us badly, but it was humanity in the beginning who despised his gifts and desired to replace him on the throne.  A historic Christian reading of the scriptures tells us that humanity is born wanting to replace him on his throne to this day.

YET, this God did not destroy or remove himself completely from humanity.  Several times in our early history, humanity came close to destroying itself, but God intervened to prevent this.  Most people at this time had NO INTEREST in knowing God, yet he intervened just the same.  He was able to have a relationship with the few while the many preferred their own ways, which included ultimate and final death.

In our westernized individualistic viewpoint, we see God as having something personal against us.   We see God as someone who can’t wait to punish and reject us.  So when we do listen to some Christians speak (and there are a lot of ignorant, vapid, and self-informed “talking heads” out there who claim to speak for all Christians) we find our perceptions reinforced.  If we have read some of the scripture passages where God’s holiness and judgment are revealed, we may be tempted to jump to the conclusions that we truly want to find (psychologists call this a “self-fulfilling prophecy”).

But, when we take this approach are we revealing our bias?  How does one get an honest picture of the God of Historic Christianity as revealed in the Holy Scriptures handed down over a 4,000 year period through faithful communities of people?  How does one grasp the idea of a loving God, but yet a God beyond our understanding, control, and description?

I suggest that instead of viewing God as disinterested or vindictive, the scriptures reveal a God who chose to stay engaged with the human world when it was not required of him.  I suggest that because of the rebellion of mankind there is now a cloud of rebellion and judgment that covers the entirety of the created order, but God remains connected to humanity and the creation.  He does not try to control or manipulate the will of mankind but has a plan to engage mankind with a redemption that could only come from his very being.

This is where Jesus Christ enters into the picture.  Jesus, being God’s son, came as God but took on the form of flesh.  The God of the universe, creator, and Lord…not a superhuman like Clark Kent, but very God of very God….took on humanity so that we might know salvation and a restored relationship with God.

What kind of God puts in that kind of effort, embraces that kind of humility, and gives up the glory of being infinite and unlimited to live as a sweaty, needy, stinky, thirsty, hungry and limited human being?

This is the God of historic Christianity.   Jesus Christ, who is Emmanuel which means “God with us”.  His is the true understanding and clarification of the holiness, justice, and love of the transcendent and holy God of the universe.  This is the same God who wants to save and love us.

Mmmm…maybe this God is more than we think he is.

The Disinterested God

Roanoke Times Article #1

(bold indicates section that appears in the Roanoke Times)

How can we believe in a God who seems disinterested in the troubles and horrors present in the world today?

Is God just an evil entity who enjoys ruling over and controlling his weaker and more vulnerable subjects?  Is God nothing more than a bored child on summer break, holding a magnifying glass while burning ants by the power of the sun?   In the least he seems absent and/or disinterested in human suffering.  What does God know of suffering if he seems removed from all of its mess?

(the below section is the continuation of the above article)

But if we hold to the vision of an evil or disinterested God, it reveals that we do have an awareness, some expectations, and legitimate hurts and disappointments with this same God.  If there is no God, then with whom are we angry?

Of course, what is often missed, is that every other human belief system (whether individual or organized) struggles with this same "problem of evil".  The reality is that we all (whether we are aware of them or not) have beliefs that shape and direct our lives.  We all have "faith" in something or someone; even if that someone is ourselves.

However, what kind of "god" are we?  How has a trust in humanity's "innate goodness" worked out?  Even if we, like some, blame religion for all the problems in the world, we don't really solve the "problem of evil" in the world.  If there is no god, this logically means that humanity is then to blame for creating the idea of a god and for all the religions in world history.  Did God cause the financial crisis?  Did God give corrupt and greedy corporate leaders the bonuses they did not deserve while most Americans have suffered greatly through a continually struggling economy?  Does God cause the strife and war in the world?

Often, the reasons we like documentaries, biographies, and tabloids about famous and influential people (who often have accomplished very positive or impressive things) is that we relish finding out that they are just as prone to evil and self-destruction as we are.  So, how has humanity done in controlling and ruling the world over the millenniums?  Are we enlightened and modern humans really doing a better job than the God we say we don't believe in?

What if the God of Christianity does understand what it is to suffer?  What if he does care?  What if by definition he cannot intervene as we would like him to do because he created us as human beings instead of soul-less machines with no real choice?  What if he intervenes and holds back evil much more than we even realize?  What if he really wants us to know a lasting peace, love and joy in this world and the one to come...instead of the empty and fleeting happiness we continually pursue?

How does the “Jesus” of the scriptures actually address these very issues?

We will consider these thoughts more in our next article.

Clarity in Contrast

There are a lot of children who dream of someday being a professional baseball player.  After watching their favorite baseball team, a child may even go out in the yard and imagine playing in a professional game.  The child may practice their skills with a parent, or even play a lot of “catch” with their friends.  However, the child will really never know how good they truly are until they compare their skills with others in competition.  They will only see the level of their abilities when they test those skills among others.

In a similar way, this is how we learn anything regarding any gifting that we may have inside or outside of the church community.  If we are “good” at something or accomplished in any arena, it will always be considered in contrast with others who have similar or different abilities.  If we are capable in any arena it will also be clear to others around us.

In our small group studies as of late, we have been talking about the contrast between Adam and Eve’s view of God in the first Eden and ours in the New Heavens and New Earth.  Again, the comparison is important.  We know God to be a saving, forgiving, and gracious God in a way unknown to our original parents.  Because of Fall of mankind in rebellion to the Creator, we understand the depth of God’s love as we have experienced it in the suffering and sacrifice of Christ Jesus.  In addition, it is through his Son that our God continues to pour out his continual mercies in light of our continual rebellion.  Without the contrast between sin and grace, darkness and light, well, our appreciation would be much more limited.

This is the reality and contrast that we hope to accomplish in the celebration of Easter and the Easter Season.  In Lent, we engage the depth and regularity of our sin, the needed power of the Holy Spirit, and the important reality of our continuing need for repentance and Christian maturity.  We embrace that we are sinners, but engage in the battle of our flesh that we may be constantly more conformed to the Image of His Son.

In our Lenten worship, we introduce contrasts through a silent procession of the cross, an embrace of the Ten Commandments, an emphasis on the spiritual disciplines, and the muting of our “Alleluias”.  We do these things with purpose and in submission to historic Christianity to provide a contrast with our sinfulness and need (a somber and bleak reality), and the glory, joy and hope found in the promise of Easter. 

Thus, on Easter Day, there is celebration, light, beauty and feasting!!!  Our need and sin are real, but the hope and joy of the Resurrection far exceed our sin.  The Resurrection covers and banishes the guilt and shame that has been dealt with at the cross.  In the contrast we embrace the reality of being saint and sinner at once; of being saved, but not completely; of having a lasting sure hope, with a need to continue in our search for God; of having a gratefulness for the gift of salvation, yet a passion for a world in need of the same. 

Thus, we embrace both Lent and Easter so that we might be aided by their contrast, and encouraged to understand our true identity as found in the life and work of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf.

Thanks be to God.

Famished

The summer before my junior year in high-school, I took a bicycle trip with some family friends.  The goal was to bike all the way around Lake Michigan, starting  in Illinois and finishing in Wisconsin.  We didn't make it the entire way around the Lake, but we got very close.  All in all, it was over two weeks of continuous bicycling - no matter the precipitation or the heat of the day.

While on this trip, I discovered something new.  If I got thirsty enough, even warm water tasted good.  Granted, I had to be very thirsty.  And granted, there was no other water available because we rarely stopped unless it was absolutely necessary.  So, when I did get thirsty I gladly drank the water that I had, even though it had been thoroughly warmed by the sun.  In normal circumstances, this water would have been dumped into the grass.  I have rarely known that kind of thirst in my life, nor have I easily forgotten it.

This thirst is reminiscent of the Psalmist's proclamation in Chapter 42:


1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?

When was the last time you were really thirsty?; hungry? What are those things that you normally and continually ache for?  When was the last time you experienced an intense hunger to know and engage your God?  Not the last time you needed a "pick-me-up" because you were having a tough week, or the last time you needed God to give you a genie-like wish (hoping he would go back into his lamp after granting your wish).  No, the hunger I am talking about leaves a continuous ache in one's heart; it longs to be filled.  It is the kind  of ache that affects you so deeply that you have to do something about it.

As we approach another new year, let me challenge you regarding your appetite for the Lord.  Do you long to know him more deeply?  Do you hunger and thirst after those things closest to his heart, and reflective of his character?  Ask him for this hunger, and he will give it to you.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6).  It is only in hungering after our God and in obeying him that we will find a true and lasting fulfillment, and he wants us to be truly fulfilled.

Father Tom

The Task

“Our task as image-bearing, God-loving, Christ-shaped, Spirit-filled Christians, following Christ and shaping our world, is to announce redemption to a world that has discovered its fallenness, to announce healing to a world that has discovered its brokenness, to proclaim love and trust to a world that knows only exploitation, fear and suspicion".

-N.T. Wright, "The Challenge of Jesus"

N.T. Wright on "Political Camps"

From Mark: In these theological/political times, where it seems so important to be in the right "camp" lest we be cast out from fellowship with others because we do not hold the "correct" views, how do you suggest moving forward toward greater unity, rather than greater division?


Beware of ‘camps’.


In the U.S. especially these are usually and worryingly tied in to the various political either/or positions WHICH THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES NOT RECOGNISE. Anyone with their wits about them who reads scripture and prays and is genuinely humble will see that many of the issues which push people into ‘camps’ - especially but not only in the U.S. - are distortions in both directions caused by trying to get a quick fix on a doctrinal or ethical issue, squashing it into the small categories of one particular culture. Read Philippians 2.1-11 again and again. And Ephesians 4.1-16 as well.


(from a blog interview conducted by Rachael Held Evans, June 11, 2013)

Transitions

Transitions are never easy; however, they are one of the constants in the human experience. Whether we want them or not, whether we are prepared or unprepared, the seasons of our life move in one direction: forward.

As newborns we become toddlers; we learn to garble and then talk; we learn to stumble, fall and eventually walk. We are taught things by parents and learn things through experience. We have our first day of school, middle school, high-school, etc. We have our first crush, our first date; we marry, have our first child. We get our first job, first car, first paycheck...and the pattern continues. We move from being children to young adults; young adults to middle-aged; middle-aged to early retired; retired to just...tired.

Of course, there are transitions that go far beyond just our human natural maturation. Transitions happen within families at the loss of a loved one, when a child goes to college, when a spouse get's ill; within companies when one is promoted, demoted or when a company downsizes; within a church when it MERGES, calls a new pastor, disciples new leadership, experiences new growth, or finds itself aging. Each transition brings new challenges and new opportunities.

In January The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul will be eight years old. We have been through a lot together; December marks my (and my family's) third year in sharing this journey with you as a family member (s) and shepherd.

I see the Spirit visibly at work in us and as we continue to submit to his Word and leading, and I see bright days ahead in regards to Kingdom of God living and serving. For me this is no small statement; I have rarely been able to say this in many of the other church contexts in which I have served. However, for us to continue to be fertile and receptive in following our Lord's direction, I believe we must embrace the transitions that He is now bringing us through.

The Lord has drawn new members and friends to our body; not only do we desire to continue to love and serve these new people, we will need their gifts and support to continue to be effective as a New Covenant community of Christ. More of our active members have become too ill to serve, or have been drawn home to Lord. Many of us have transitioned into stages of our lives that have forced us to realize that we can no longer do the things we have done in the past. However, we have also experienced a slew of newly retired working professionals who now have more time for discipleship and ministry engagement and this has been a huge “shot in the arm” for us. Thanks be to God.

With me will you open your hearts to the transitions that God is bringing us through as a church? Where might he want to use you? What are some things that he is trying to show you? Where might you need to change your approach, and where might you need to look for another? How does God want to heal you in 2015, and where does he want to stretch you?

As we were reminded this week in our small group study of Hebrews:

Heb 2:14-15

Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.

We have nothing to fear. Christmas reminds us that the Christ-child came to take on the form of flesh to represent us and save us by his death on the cross. In this death the evil one (here Satan being the figure-head of all that is in rebellion to God and his Kingdom) has been defeated, and we no longer have anything to fear because we have no punishment or death to be worried about.

The Lord walks with us day by day through our transitions. We are not alone, and we have nothing to fear. Let us EMBRACE our transitions as a church and in our personal lives; it will not be easy, but we do not walk alone.

Thanks be to God.

The Great Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a well known holiday in the United States.  Quite frankly, it is one of my favorite times of the year.  I really like the fall with all of its explosive colors, the crisp air, the festive food, and yes, the focus and feasting that encourages we Americans to be a thankful people for the many blessings that we have been given.

However, what is often lost on most Americans (even American Christians) is that the historic Christian Church celebrates a feast of Thanksgiving every single week.  It is called The Eucharist.  For many, the term Eucharist sounds different, mysterious, maybe even dangerous.  So, let’s take a closer look at this important word. 

 The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word εὐχαριστῶ (eucharisteo) and it is the general word for “thanksgiving”.  Interestingly, it is found in this form in just thirty-eight different scriptures in the New Testament.  Let’s look at a few:

 Mark 8:

⁶ And he commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. ⁷ And they had a few small fish; and having blessed them, he commanded that these also should be set before them. ⁸ And they ate, and were satisfied; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
 

Mark 14:

²² And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” ²³ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. ²⁴ And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

As you might know, the record of Jesus and his Disciples sharing Passover together, thus, establishing the Eucharistic Feast of Holy Communion, is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).  It is at this first Eucharistic meal that Jesus gives us our “words of institution” so we may set apart the bread and wine to be a blessing to us, and a source of great thanksgiving, indeed.

I Corinthians 10:

¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
³⁰ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

The attentive eye will notice that I did not highlight the word “thankgiving” or “give thanks” in verse sixteen above.  The Greek word used here is the normal word for “blessing” not “thanksgiving”, but the NIV has captured well here the idea implied in the text itself.  The blessing and thanksgiving at the table of our Lord work in conjunction with each other.  I challenge you to go back now to the verses in Mark 8 and 14 and see how Jesus uses the terms “thanks” and “bless” correspondingly as he does his miracle in the feeding of the four-thousand.

Each week when we come to celebrate Holy Communion, we are engaging and celebrating the Great Thanksgiving, i.e., The Eucharist.  We come to receive a blessing from God and to be a blessing to him as we honor him with thankful and moldable hearts.  We are there to worship and thank him for the love he has poured out on us through Jesus Christ on the Cross, through the power of the resurrection we experience through the Holy Spirit, and through the hope of our final glorification living eternally in the unhindered presence of the Father.

We have much to be thankful for, and we have the opportunity to give thanks to God every day.  However, the pinnacle of our individual and communal thanksgiving finds it’s fulfillment in our communion with the Lord and one another as we gather around The Table of the Lord Jesus Christ.

O Lord, enable us to be a people of constant thanksgiving!