Translate
A site that publishes some brief articles and other teaching of Father Thomas Reeves, the Priest/Pastor at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Bloomington, IL (stmattsblm.org)
Monday, April 4, 2022
Friday, March 25, 2022
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
The Feast of the Annunciation to Mary
Collect of the Day
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament Reading
Isaiah 7:10-14Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”
The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading
Luke 1:26-38In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Video Sermon YouTube Channel
For those interested, many of Father Tom's sermons are now being video-recorded and posted on this YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjRA__BqS_R0i-NtMbgMDKg
For those interested watching full services when they are video recorded at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Bloomington, IL, will be posted on this YouTube Channel:
Saturday, February 12, 2022
A Lenten Way of Life
The Season of Lent is upon us. Of course, in the Christian Year, the service that launches us into this season is our Ash Wednesday Mass. Listen to the introduction of this liturgy as it is found in the Book of Common Prayer:
Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith."
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker, and redeemer.
Lent is that significant season that reminds us that we are all still sinners in need of a savior. The early Christians would have been very aware of the below Old Testament passages:
Jeremiah 17:
9 The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?
10 I the Lord test the mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.
Psalm 19
12 But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
However, in contrast to some “catholic” traditions, Lent is not about self-punishment, self-condemnation, or self-merit. It is about emotional and spiritual honesty so that true life and healing may be engaged and celebrated. Lent reminds us that we no longer have to pretend that we have it all together, but that God calls us to be responsible to grow in our salvation and ability to love Him and others. The denial of our appetites in concert with some more focused evaluation of the darkness still left in our hearts, helps us to more poignantly be receptive to the mystical realities appropriated to us through Good Friday and Easter.
What often hinders the blessing and penitence of Lent is the need to have it all together, and the fear that we are still under punishment, i.e., terrible things will happen to us if people (including ourselves) find out who we truly are. News flash: Jesus already knows, but He cannot bring healing to patients who wrap their arms around themselves in self-righteousness, self-worship, and self-protection.
Let us engage Lent this year because we long to engage our merciful and triune, God. Ask the Lord to give you the courage through the power of the Holy Spirit, to turn from your sin, and to find His help and healing.
Father Tom
Friday, February 4, 2022
The Problem with Transformation
I repeatedly stated as I candidated here at St. Matthew’s in February 2021, that it is my strong belief that the decline in the American church (across denominational lines) is largely not a “technique” or “methodological” problem (and this includes conflict management acumen and ministry programming of any kind); what we have is a “character problem”. We are largely much more interested in what works than what is true. So often in our churches, Jesus doesn’t direct and define our lives; we fit Him into ours. Jesus modeled the centrality of personal sacrifice, forgiveness, and unconditional love; he was courageous and stood against evil and those who wished the church and others harm. Jesus didn’t have an easy ministry; the things He did and calls us to do aren't often easy, either.
So how can we foster a community that opens its heart to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit? The faithful are called to obey and use the teachings of Jesus Christ to discern some of His most prominent rivals on the American landscape: personal feelings, life experiences, and preferential opinions – whether they be ours or those to whom we desire to bring happiness. These potential masters call for our worship and priority in decision making, but for the thoughtful and teachable disciples of Jesus, they are only discerned or engaged through the lenses of the Gospel and the teachings of the Kingdom of God. Whose lenses do we start with?
We can transform…no one. We can fix…no one. We can change…no one. We can love…everyone. But loving people does not mean enabling and supporting clearly disobedient behavior repeatedly taught as destructive in Holy Scripture. WHO and what “truth” we follow will either pave a way for life and growth in our church, or it will rut and wash out any way forward.
Chickens are coming home to roost in American parishes across our land, so, how will we be different? The broader, disengaged, and non-confrontational approaches of modern moralistic institutionalism would struggle with the ministry of Jesus (just like they did at the time of Christ). Can the ways of Jesus truly be trusted? What does it “look like” for the Church of St. Matthew’s to be obedient and faithful to Christ, thus, welcoming Jesus as the Lord of the Church? Are His ways worth following?
I say yes. What say you?
Friday, January 28, 2022
Practical Theology
The problem that we often have with our “theology” about God, life, and the church, isn’t that our beliefs from Holy Scripture are so impractical or unrelated to life, but that they are so practical that God’s greatness reminds us how small and needy we truly are. Instead of being grateful for his love and mercy, we become threatened that this God so above us might be trying to take something from us; that if we follow Him completely, we may end up losing something essential that we must have to be happy.
We do not merit our salvation; we cannot earn it, nor should we even try. However, God has made our redemption a gift, and a responsibility. To grow in Him means a lot of work, discomfort, and change. When we are motivated by unholy fear, guilt, and unbelief an “earned approach” appears. When we are motivated by love and gratitude, a trusting, joyous, and passionate sanctification occurs. However, our growth in holiness, while not meriting our position with God, IS still a part of our salvation as we turn from sin and self-rule to faithfulness and obedience to our Lord and His ways. This desire and these actions on our part take discipline, patience, and the acceptance of God’s mercy. This is our theology of sanctification, and it is God’s path to our final redemption.
In Genesis, the Lord reveals himself to Moses with the name “Yahweh”. Literally in Hebrew, it means “I AM”. God is not just the Lord of Creation – matter, time, and space – he is above it and removed from it. God is not “was” or “will be”. For Him there is no past, present, and future; there is only NOW. Not only does our wonderful God know the future He has for us, He actually lives in that future. We have nothing to fear.
When we consider the greatness and love of our God, let us remember that He is calling us into a salvation history for His Covenant people that is already completed, but not yet. This is a mystery and one we will never completely understand. May this encourage us that His greatness can be trusted and may this help us to embrace that our Lord calls us to be faithful.
Father Tom
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Preparing for Family at Christmas
In the least, the COVID virus has caused most of us some everyday challenges, irritations, and general anxiety. However, it is amazing to what we can grow accustomed. While I still walk halfway between my car and the grocery store before I realize I have no mask on, I expect the reality of masks in public places. I have yet to receive my tax return from 2020. Our new couch which we bought in August is now due to arrive in April. Yes, these things are frustrating, but they are becoming much more normal every day.
There are things for which we can also become accustomed in our families, work, and church family. Some of this is fine, reasonable, and needed. However, there are other things that we accept and even support that Jesus did not and would not. This is because of His consistent and clear understanding in regards to true love. When it came to certain values and priorities, Jesus kept the will of His Father and His calling as His foundation, even with those He loved the most.
Mark 3:
Then he went home; 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”
31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
While Jesus loved his family, He did not allow them to dictate His behavior. We have lost our way a bit as the church when it comes to the Christmas Season. A wonderful benefit of the Feast of the Nativity is that we have some blessed time to spend with family. However, Western culture has turned Christmas into “it’s all about family”. As the disciples of Jesus, it is the worship of Him that comes first, and this in turn is a blessing to us and our families. Feasting is God’s idea, and when we enjoy His blessings, this brings Him Joy as well. That said, it is easy to lose our focus and priorities as we interact and engage those that we love the most.
As we know quite well, being around family during the holidays also poses some great challenges and tensions. What temptations might that be for you? Can we draw boundaries with others without trying to punish them for past harms? Can we lovingly engage those we love without enabling their influence on our emotions or actions? Do we bring forgiveness and peace to our gatherings, or do we add to the chaos and tensions by our own self-service? Can we still feast and worship the Lord without being lost in the overwhelming business of this season?
The answer is most certainly, “Yes”, but we must prepare our hearts and open ourselves to the Christ-child’s gentle and powerful touch. May Advent prepare us for our Holidays and for faithfulness to our God throughout the entirety of the New Year.
Father Tom
Friday, December 3, 2021
Choking the Transformation
To recap: One, we have been taught that “evangelism” is a method used to get results. Secondly, we are tempted to think that only those with a special gifting can be used to see others find Jesus as their Lord. Lastly, many of us struggle with deep spiritual “insecurities”: "God wouldn't use me to see someone come to find eternal redemption in Christ!".
The truth is that the season of Advent helps us find the genuine starting places for effective outreach to the world; a world that so desperately needs to know the saving love of Jesus. Although humanity was given over to selfishness, pride, and emptiness, the Father sent His son to break into our world shrouded in guilt, shame, and self-destruction. He did not wait in His heavenly court for us to somehow figure it out ourselves (we were incapable of this). He in His mercy and love sent His willing and loving Son to break into our world that we might have hope.
Thus, as we will investigate in the future from Holy Scripture, the starting places for a grounded and lasting form of church growth does NOT start with our desire to see our institution survive that we might not suffer loss (this is about US).
The below two questions can reveal if we truly desire a future taught by Jesus about the Kingdom of God in our own hearts: Do we truly want to love our neighbor (whether they join our church or not), and do we truly want to love one another with the authentic love of Jesus? Without these two foundational pillars, any evangelism, outreach, and “do-gooding” in which we involve ourselves will be extremely limited in nature. Why? Because when we choose our own ways and machinations, we limit the power of the Holy Spirit among us and hinder the transformation that our Savior wants to accomplish in us...and through us.
More to come.
Father Tom
Sunday, November 21, 2021
The Lord Wants YOU
When Competition Hurts
Thursday, October 28, 2021
The Spirit of Reconciliation
"The whole Gospel of St. Luke is full of the spirit of ·reconciliation, the reconciliation of man with God, of person with person. The spirit of reconciliation is necessary in all ages. We may have perfect organization and perfect machinery, but, unless we have a right spirit behind them, they will not affect much. The forces of coercion on one side and revenge on the other will never do any good. Christ's religion reveals His spirit, and it is a reconciling spirit. Some people, wherever they go, bring trouble, and others bring blessing and healing, as did this great tender doctor who was with St. Paul to the end, and must have had so sweet a character."
Saturday, October 16, 2021
The Word in Liturgy
Father Tom has created a new podcast for the homilies that he will be preaching at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church.
His new podcast is The Word in Liturgy.
The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be yours this week.
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
To Fear or Not to Fear
2 Timothy 1:
7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Fear is not a fruit of the Spirit.
Fear is the enemy of the Gospel and a life that is free and being freed from anxiety. Fear tells us that:
we are not good enough
something we do or have done will ruin our lives
we must have control to be content
we must control our family, friends, and fellow-members
we must preserve our way of life at all cost
no one else can be trusted but me and those who think like me
Listen to Paul in Gal. 5 as he shares the “siblings” and the outcomes of fear:
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy,[e] drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
This kind of living has no concept or reception for Paul’s words to Timothy that he should not “be ashamed” by those taking shots at a life lived out of the Gospel message. Instead, he welcomes Timothy "to join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God". People who understand that following Jesus means embracing and running into discomfort and suffering (as opposed to a “fight or flight” response) will reflect the following characteristics in their lives:
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
The above is NOT first of all about legitimate theological differences and in “debatable areas” among us. Remember that those who often attacked and maligned Paul saw themselves as “the orthodox” and it was the Jewish “orthodox” leaders who led the Crucifixion of Jesus (NOT firstly the Roman Government).
Because we hold certain beliefs that we believe to be “right” and “just” does not mean that our hearts are soft to the Holy Spirit and obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ. Nor does the “rightness” of our cause justify our uncontrolled passions, unforgiveness, and the poor treatment of others.
What are the patterns of your life related to the above lists? What kind of spirit do the people with whom you spend the most time reveal? What kind of spirit do you support and align with? Do you enable or undermine those given over to envy, power, and wrath? Who are those from whom you learn, get council, and welcome to aid you in your growth in Jesus?
Jesus is patient, loving, and forgiving. However, when it comes to how we treat people, minister with people, and forgive people, well…these things have eternal ramifications.
To repeat Paul's words from Galatians 5 above: I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Matthew 6:
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Let us say “NO” to fear today, and YES to the fruits of the Spirit that only the Holy Spirit can give us as we welcome his work in our lives with obedient, soft, and teachable hearts to Jesus and His ways.
Father Tom
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Watchful Versus Complacent
The Seduction of Production
In the New Testament, the idea of Covenantal rest for the people of God is fleshed out for us and connected directly to the work of Jesus in His death and resurrection (this is especially clarified for us in the Epistle of Hebrews). For the New Covenant People of God, Jesus is our rest, our shalom, our peace. The idea of Shalom for the baptized points to a salvation that brings wholeness, healing, and restoration both in this life and in the life to come.
BUT, there is a practical reality that is also to be understood here in the context of Genesis 1 that is meant for God’s Covenant People of all ages. God did not rest because He got tired or exhausted (like we humans do). As Jesus modeled repentance and forgiveness in Baptism (when he needed neither), God models something for us in establishing the six-day workweek and “resting” on the Seventh Day: Our lives are not about the tasks we are given by the Creator but are to be focused on Creator Himself.
Whatever good gifts that God has given us can quickly become priorities and idols themselves. This is not to be. So, Israel, and now the New Covenant People, His Church, were called in their resting to remind themselves and re-orient themselves weekly to the source of their lives - knowing, serving, and following the very God who had given them their lives, tasks, and salvation.
May we use and recommit ourselves to the regular Sunday worship of our God in Word and Sacrament. It was the discipline established by the Apostles and Church Fathers: A time of worship in community designed to refresh, strengthen, and reorient us to our true source of lasting REST, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Father Tom
Holy Scripture Matters - (1st Article - St. Matthew's Episcopal Church)
Why does Holy Scripture matter? For historic Episcopalians – being both Catholic and Reformational; we believe the Bible to be our highest authority which guides us in both life and salvation. However, we also know that our holy book was developed over thousands of years through a Spirit-led, yet frail community. It is not a completed magic book that dropped from the sky into the hands of the Church Fathers. It has a distinctly mystical, spiritual, and creational history. Thus, we embrace the truth that Holy Scripture is formed by the unique work of the Holy Spirit in the context of good tradition.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
The Innkeeper and the Priest
"He brought him to an inn and took care of him" - Luke 10:34
The validity of the orders of the priest and the grace of the Sacrament depends upon the love of God, Who knows what they need whom He brings to His inn. The innkeeper was not necessarily a person of any great merit, but to him was given sufficient to provide for the needs of the man. God has entrusted His Sacraments to His priests, and however much they may fail in their own lives, the gifts they dispense are a perfect provision for our souls, for they are indeed the gifts of God Himself.
- Father Andrew, Meditations, 283
Samaritan Living
"When he saw him, he was moved with compassion and came to him" - Luke 10:33
The Samaritan passes by and comes where the man is. In that sentence is told all the deep mystery of our Lord's Incarnation. He came down to be in the poverty of the poor. He did not pass by, He did not come down and look at it, and then go back to heaven. He did not come to tempted men and say, "You ought not to have that temptation,' but He came to where the tempted man was. he came into the place of suffering and willed that His own coronal should be a crown of thorns. The story of the Good Samaritan is the story of the Incarnation. It is the picture of the love of God.
- Father Andrew, Meditations, pg. 282
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Review: The Apocalypse of St John: A Revelation of Love and Power
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Listened to this over a 2-year period via Podcast (but also bought the written commentary).
Highly Recommended. The author is not only versed exegetically and historically in regards to interpretive issues but does a fantastic job bringing out the need for a deep understanding of the Old Testament if one is to rightly interpret Revelation. It is constantly (and rightly) emphasized that to understand Revelation and its intent, the book must be read and studied from the perspective of a faithful Jew - who is also a Christian. The author illustrates the point repeatedly and thoughtfully.
Highly Recommended.
View all my reviews
Friday, March 12, 2021
Mercy for Seeking and Knowing Truth
"I, therefore, cease not to ask of our true Lord and Master that He will design so to teach me, either by the utterances of His Scriptures, or by a discussion with fellow believers, or by the inward and more sweet teaching of His own inspiration, that in those things which I am to put forward or assert I may ever hold fast to the truth; and I ask that from this very Truth, Himself, I may be taught many things and more which I do not know, for from Him I have received the little that I do know."
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
A Guide to Reading the Bible
This is a concise, thoughtful, and extremely helpful article in regards to how a historic and thoughtful Christian should approach Holy Scripture.
https://livingchurch.org/covenant/2015/08/14/top-10-rules-bible-reading/
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
A Drowsy Half-Waking
Two months before his death C.S. Lewis wrote:
"[We are] a seed patiently waiting in the earth: waiting to come up a flower in the Gardener's good time, up into the real world, the real waking. I suppose that our whole present life, looked back on from there, will seem only a drowsy half-waking. We are here in the land of dreams. But cock-crow is coming."
McGrath, pg. 360
Monday, January 11, 2021
Saturday, January 9, 2021
For Our Country: A Prayer
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-1979 Book of Common Prayer
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Wonderful article regarding a pandemic, death, and the hope of Christmas from a bishop in 1623:
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Friday, November 13, 2020
PASTORAL THEOLOGY
- I believe that popular notions in American Christianity regarding the separation of theology/practice, the past/present, the intellect/emotion, and the personal/communal are artificial, unscriptural, and in contrast with a faithful, historic, and Christian discipleship
- After the love we have for our Triune God, the foundation for a transcendent (thus, lasting) evangelism is the scripturally defined love that Christians are to have in community together. Biblical Community is a gift of the Holy Spirit but must be developed and sought after by God’s people.
- An enduring church worships, loves, and seeks the covenant-making God of the scriptures in both personal and communal ways. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the faithful church effectively brings a transcendent Gospel to the world around it from a position of humility, authenticity, and depth.
- A parasitic form of Christianity loves people so that it may get something from them. It fosters selfishness, infighting, and power games within communal family life. While an unhealthy view of the church can survive for many years, in time this kind of Christianity will decline and evaporate. Empire building has no place in the Kingdom of God, and this spirit and approach contribute to an anemic and unhealthy church wherever it is found.
- Biblical discipleship lives and proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. However, discipleship is not just an invitation to public conversion through baptism, but following baptism, walks in a relationship with the new convert as their genuine and personal faith grows, a later faith takes root, or an empty faith reveals itself over time.
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Friday, October 30, 2020
Nobility or the Status Quo?
Are you nobler than those who are quite satisfied with their comfortable beliefs? Read the below before you answer.
Acts 17:
11 Now, these Jews were nobler than those in Thessaloni′ca, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
When we are challenged by credible sources that we respect regarding the teachings of Holy Scripture, are we noble and do we give honest prayer, thought, and research to their challenges? Or, like anyone else who prefers the comfort of their own presuppositions, the fear of honest assessment, and the need to avoid the unknown, do we brush them off? (or like the Jews in Thessalonica, go on the attack?).
Does the "truth set you free" or are you the warden of your own captivity? The search is for Christ NO MATTER THE COSTS.
"My word is truth, and the truth will set you free" - Jesus (John 8)
Is it the "salvation" that Jesus offers that we truly want?
Thursday, October 15, 2020
How We Find Out
By their fruits, you will know them Matt. 7:20
We find out what people are really like by the way they take the things that happen to them. One might think a woman very charming, yet find her fail in the day of trouble, or one might be with a man when a fire broke out at a theatre, and find that he was immediately in a panic; or one might see someone, whom one had always regarded as very commonplace, do a very beautiful act. In each case, one would say, 'Well, I never thought he or she was like that! The circumstances of life reveal character.
Our Lord willed to come into this world and bring with Him nothing, to start with the poorest and to meet life as it came, and each thing as he met it revealed His character. Hate came to him, and He revealed His love. Success came to Him, and he revealed His humility. Failure came and revealed his faith. All things came to Him, eventually death, and death itself contributed to his royalty, for it revealed that He is alive forevermore.
Life finds us out, and our first discovery may be very like the discovery of St. Peter when he went out and wept bitterly after denying his Lord. But that was not the last word about Simon Peter, nor need our failures ever be the last word about ourselves. We can learn by our mistakes, and, if life finds us out, we can find out our God in our lives, and through its challenge and His grace bring forth the fruit that shall make us known as His children.
Father Andrew - Meditations, pg. 273
Doing Right or Getting the Right Result?
James 1:
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
The surprising statement no doubt came out of St. James's own experience. The only way in which we can read "trials" is by taking it as being for the testing of the will, and that is surely what the apostle means. It has to be proved that we are doing right from the highest motives; that we are doing right because it is right, and not because it is profitable; that we are doing the true thing because it is true, and not because it is polotic (politically expedient).... if we do right from thoughts of punishment or reward, we may be doing right things but we are not really doing right.
-Father Andrew, Meditations, pg. 272
Friday, September 18, 2020
AGAINST SENSIBLE RELIGION
"There is nothing new under the sun". -Song of Solomon
"He (St. Athanasius) stood for the Trinitarian doctrine, 'whole and undefiled,' when it looked as if all the civilized world was slipping back from Christianity into the religion of Arius—into one of those “sensible” synthetic religions which are so strongly recommended to-day and which, then as now, included among their devotees many highly cultivated clergymen. It is his glory that he did not move with the times; it is his reward that he now remains when those times, as all times do, have moved away.
-CS Lewis
SHORT-CUTS TO IMMATURITY
“Goal-setting, in the context and on the terms intended by a leadership-obsessed and management programmed business mentality that infiltrates the church far too frequently, is bad spirituality. Too much gets left out. Too many people get brushed aside. Maturity cannot be hurried, programmed, or tinkered with. There are no steroids available for growing up in Christ more quickly. Impatient shortcuts land us in the dead ends of immaturity."
-Eugene Peterson - “Practice Resurrection,” pg. 133
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Review: Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of Tom Wright's earliest books. An important basic read for popular Christianity and beyond.
View all my reviews
Review: Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Those who believe that Jesus is the King and Lord of the world today, accept his kingdom teachings and ways.
Tom Wright helps the reader confront the historical and theological assumptions that so many of the Jews listening to Jesus would have assumed regarding the coming of the Messiah; so many of the modern, western, and American assumptions we make today.
While clearing a path through the confusion of the many looking to shape their own vision of Jesus and a kingdom of their liking, Wright invites us on a journey of accepting the kingly rule of Jesus in all of its subversion, nuance, and complexity. He reveals a Jesus who calls his people to be the worshipping church together, desiring his lordship in every area of their lives and in every category of the created order.
In the end, he calls the church to her true mission: To Worship the triune God of the Bible by receiving her established Lord and King. He tasks the baptized to together open their hearts and lives to the Kingdom work that he longs to do through them. We proclaim the Good News of redemption through Christ and aid people as they begin to live the new creation that has taken and is taking root in the church and in their lives. The kingdoms of this world will not endure, but the powers are unaware of who is truly in control and that they have already been defeated.
It is only our God who builds his eternal kingdom (both now and in completion someday); those building their own kingdoms (while naming them the kingdom of God) will find the life and teachings of Jesus inconvenient, indeed.
View all my reviews
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Humility or the Need for Cultural Power?
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The Model of St. Patrick
As a teenager, Patrick was captured and made a slave by Irish pirates off of the coast of Britain. After six years of labor in Ireland, he escaped with the aid of some fishermen. During his time in Ireland, he became much more devout in his Christian faith. Not only did Patrick forgive those who had enslaved him, but after training and schooling returned to bring them the Gospel as a missionary.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Our Thinking is to Be Turned Inside Out
"Our thinking is to be turned inside out when we realize that the true God raised Jesus from the dead and thereby announced to the whole world that he is the life-giving God, the God of generous love, the God who takes the metaphorical leprosy of the world and deals with it. Let the true God renew your mind as you worship and follow his risen Son."
Wright, N. T. (1994). Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship (p. 67). London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Discerning Spiritual Leadership
The writer of Hebrews is concerned with some churches who were struggling and being tempted to walk away from their beliefs about Christ. What these Hebrew Christians didn't realize was that their very spiritual lives were at stake. So why were they vulnerable to some of the false doctrines promising them things that the Gospel never had?
Hebrews 5:12-14
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God's word. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the world of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 6:1
Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity...
"You hear it said [these days], with a great air of religious common sense, that it is the man that the modern age demands in the pulpit, and not his doctrine. It is the man that counts, and not his creed. But this is one of those shallow and plausible underparts which is blandly offered for the arduous whole. No man has any right in the pulpit in virtue of his personality or manhood in itself, but only in virtue of the sacramental value of his personality for his message. We have no business to worship the elements, which means, in this case, to idolize the preacher ... To be ready to accept any kind of message from a magnetic man is to lose the Gospel in mere impressionism. It is to sacrifice the moral in religion to the aesthetic. And it is fatal to the authority either of the pulpit or the Gospel. The Church does not live by its preachers, but by its Word."
Peter T. Forsyth - a speech in 1907
We live in a society of people who want to remain children. Children think in very simple and concrete terms: yes or no, black or white, good and bad, my group and your group. This is the crowd most ready to latch onto or commit to "dynamic leaders". They want leaders who will make the complex simple, the profound manageable, the painful anesthetized, and consequences inconsequential. But the mature and the discerning, i.e., "those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil" will not tolerate such things. They are mature and live a life of complexity, discipline, and patience.
Instead of using the church as a spiritual crutch, those who are mature will desire both truth and accountability. The mature will stop church shopping when the going gets tough (or uncomfortable) and commit to a messy but grounded covenant family by which to use their gifts for the kingdom of God, They will accept the complexity and transcendence of God's great character, ways, and salvation, and lay aside the facade of personal control and self-preservation.
Or - like most Americans - Christian or not, they will continue to follow the dynamic leaders and churches that promise things they can't deliver and American dreams that God never promised.
Do you want to be a spiritual child or a mature adult?
If "adult" is you answer, then stop following the salesmen, pop stars, and ringleaders, and start following Jesus through those clergy who are more concerned with giving you Christ and His Kingdom rather than their own answers, visions, and empires; who are committed to leading the church by walking with their people through the joy, confusion, pain, grounding, eternal hope, and lasting peace that Jesus Christ came to give us.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Church Membership and Confirmation
Moralism is the Enemy of the Gospel
"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” can be genuine in its intentions and good works."
("Was Jesus An Evangelical", Reeves, Page 167).
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
True Freedom
It is hard to intimidate or manipulate those who are willing to die
Willing to Die - John 19:1-16 (Audio)
Monday, October 21, 2019
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Do You Have the Courage to Make a Pharisee Mad?
"If you follow Jesus, eventually you are going to tick-off some Pharisee. Stop worrying about what people think, and start thinking about obedience to the will of God."
-The Rev. Dr. Michael Van Horn
There is a Fountain - Audio
Saturday, August 31, 2019
True Healing from God
A wonderful sermon which helps us distinguish between God-ordained healing and the rote incantations of individualistic religious magic.
Audio Sermon - Be Thou My Vision; The Rev. Dr. Michael VanHorn
Thursday, August 8, 2019
WWJD? or maybe not.
"What was the cause of their relentless hostility to Christ? Neither his messianic claims nor his occasional Jewish unorthodoxies, it seems to me, account for the bitter resentment he aroused in them. There were others at that time in Judea, each of whom claimed to be the Messiah, and for the most part, Christ conducted himself like a strict and pious Jew."
"No, as I see it, Christ's real crime was simply that he spoke the truth, which is intolerable to all forms of authority--but especially ecclesiastical. Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, Christ said. In the eyes of Caiaphas and his associates, as later in the eyes of Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov, Christ had to die because the truth he spoke and the freedom he offered undermined the authority other men claimed and exercised."
Malcome Muggeridge (1903-1990), Jesus Rediscovered.