This week, as we continue through the Epiphany season, we see Christ calling some of his disciples from Mark's account of the Gospel:
"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.' Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.' And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him." Mark 1:14-20
If there is any reason whatsoever to use the Lectionary, today's Sunday school class would be the prime example. Today, our class had to merge with another due to the teacher being out and the person who was to take her place was sick. That being said, our lesson today was from Hosea. The teacher of the class asked the simple question: "What makes God angry?" Simple enough, right? Simple enough that a simple (and overtly Sunday school answer) of sin would have sufficed, yes? Well, after 25 minutes of "God doesn't mind about the little sins," from one guy and "Well, I've been talking with some Muslims and we essentially have the same God because they also worship the God of Abraham," from a woman in the class, and "God doesn't get angry with us because he loves us," from another, Sharon and I had heard enough. Thankfully the teacher, nor the rest of the class, were supporting such heresy, but needless to say something needed to be said. Sharon spoke up and plainly stated: "God does get angry with us because of our sin, BUT BECAUSE OF CHRIST," I felt the need to capitalize that since apparently no one in the class was getting to the obvious answer throughout the morning lesson, "God is able to pour out his wrath on Christ's work on the cross and not on us." I'm obviously paraphrasing her comment, but still, it was quite frustrating to listen to the arguments people were trying to make and to rationalize God. "Reason is a whore, and the greatest enemy that faith has" Martin Luther once said. Therefore, is it safe to assume that trying to rationalize God might, in fact, be a sin? Anywho...
During lunch we had a pretty lengthy discussion over the lesson and realized how fortunate we both have been to have sat under great teaching (having gone to Union and have attended Christ Community [I'm sure she has others, but that one stands out for me more than any others]) and had wonderful opportunities for discipleship. To bring it all back to the Lectionary, Christ Community may not have used the Lectionary for Sunday school lessons, but thankfully the lessons were used for the building up of the bride. Also, IF (and I stress if) any crazy heresy happened to be spurted out in a lesson, it was quickly corrected lest someone leave believing things that simply weren't true.
Anyway, enough of that. I just thought I'd share our interesting... yes, interesting experience from this morning. Go in peace, brethren, be warm and filled.
Prayer for the Week:
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Reuniting the Physical and the Spiritual
As I stated in Sunday's post, I am currently reading "Evangelical is Not Enough" by Thomas Howard. In this book, Howard is in no way condemning evangelicalism but is simply making the argument that, from his experience, growing up evangelical gave him a knowledge of Christ, redemption, prayer, etc... but left him wanting more. I have to say, I agree with him to a certain extent. It's one thing entirely to tell others of Jesus and his death, burial and resurrection, it's another thing to disciple them into what a life walking with Christ will be like (simply put, it's one thing to make converts, it's something totally different to make disciples). My experience right after I came to the Faith was "okay, you're a Christian, read your Bible and start acting like a Christian," without really any guidance toward what that meant. I am in no way condemning those who were in spiritual authority over me, only stating what my perspective was. Although the things that I heard and learned were sound as far as the Scriptures were concerned, left to my own devices, I was completely at a loss of where to start and what to do. But, enough about that, back to Thomas Howard (who actually touches on that point in a different chapter, but that is another post in and of itself).
In the second chapter of his book he begins discussing the Spirit and the Flesh. In this chapter he discusses how growing up evangelical he was instructed that there is a major difference in the spiritual man and the fleshly man. That ones worship is within, not without. That images, posture, tangible things were inappropriate when it came to worship and to things of God. In the section that shares its title with this post he states to assume these things is a misunderstanding of the Incarnation of Christ. He states, "The Incarnation took all that properly belongs to our humanity and delivered it back to us, redeemed. All of our inclinations, appetites, capacities, yearnings and proclivities are purified, gathered up and glorified by Christ. He did not come to thin out human life; He came to set it free! All the dancing, feasting, processing, singing, building, sculpting, baking and merrymaking that belong to us, and that were stolen away into the service of false gods, are returned to us in the Gospel."
He also argues that position of our bodies also belong in the act of worship. He states later on, "To restrict worship to sitting in pews and listening to words spoken is to narrow things down in a manner strange to the gospel. We are creatures who are made to bow, not just spiritually (angels can do that) but with kneebones and neck muscles." This statement comes after telling of his experience in an Anglican church while studying abroad in Britain and how the congregation would kneel every time they would pray during the service.
In regards to how tangible things relates to our spiritual life he says, "It is in the physical world that the intangible meets us. A kiss seals a courtship. The sexual act seals a marriage. A ring betokens the marriage. A diploma crowns years of schooling. A doctoral robe bespeaks intellectual achievement. A uniform and stripes announce a recruit's training. A crown girds the brow that rules England. This symbolism bespeaks the sort of creature we are. To excise all of this from piety and worship is to suggest that the Gospel beckons us away from our humanity into a disembodied realm. It is to turn the Incarnation into a mere doctrine."
Needless to say, Howard makes a compelling point about how the spiritual needs to be reunited with the physical. Obviously there is not one perfect way to worship the Lord, but for someone like Howard (and I have learned over the last few years, someone like me), although it may appear constricting and legalistic, it is actually very freeing to have these disciplines and outlooks and allows for a different perspective on worship.
In the second chapter of his book he begins discussing the Spirit and the Flesh. In this chapter he discusses how growing up evangelical he was instructed that there is a major difference in the spiritual man and the fleshly man. That ones worship is within, not without. That images, posture, tangible things were inappropriate when it came to worship and to things of God. In the section that shares its title with this post he states to assume these things is a misunderstanding of the Incarnation of Christ. He states, "The Incarnation took all that properly belongs to our humanity and delivered it back to us, redeemed. All of our inclinations, appetites, capacities, yearnings and proclivities are purified, gathered up and glorified by Christ. He did not come to thin out human life; He came to set it free! All the dancing, feasting, processing, singing, building, sculpting, baking and merrymaking that belong to us, and that were stolen away into the service of false gods, are returned to us in the Gospel."
He also argues that position of our bodies also belong in the act of worship. He states later on, "To restrict worship to sitting in pews and listening to words spoken is to narrow things down in a manner strange to the gospel. We are creatures who are made to bow, not just spiritually (angels can do that) but with kneebones and neck muscles." This statement comes after telling of his experience in an Anglican church while studying abroad in Britain and how the congregation would kneel every time they would pray during the service.
In regards to how tangible things relates to our spiritual life he says, "It is in the physical world that the intangible meets us. A kiss seals a courtship. The sexual act seals a marriage. A ring betokens the marriage. A diploma crowns years of schooling. A doctoral robe bespeaks intellectual achievement. A uniform and stripes announce a recruit's training. A crown girds the brow that rules England. This symbolism bespeaks the sort of creature we are. To excise all of this from piety and worship is to suggest that the Gospel beckons us away from our humanity into a disembodied realm. It is to turn the Incarnation into a mere doctrine."
Needless to say, Howard makes a compelling point about how the spiritual needs to be reunited with the physical. Obviously there is not one perfect way to worship the Lord, but for someone like Howard (and I have learned over the last few years, someone like me), although it may appear constricting and legalistic, it is actually very freeing to have these disciplines and outlooks and allows for a different perspective on worship.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Second Sunday after Epiphany / Prayer for the Week (January 15 - 21)
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him,“Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1: 43-51 (ESV)
I will eventually begin to add some substantial commentary to these passages that I post, especially in regards to the current season of the calendar. At the moment, I am not only trying to establish the habit of blogging on a regular basis, but also establish the Sunday posts as one that references one of the selected passages from the Lectionary as well as gives the Prayer for the Week laid based on the Book of Common Prayer. Fun? Yes, I believe so.
As a little teaser, I am reading an interesting book that was referred to me by none other than good ole Ross Guthrie called "Evangelical is not Enough" by Thomas Howard. I just read a very intriguing section on the the Flesh and the Spirit that I will share with you later this week. So stay tuned for further developments. For now, toodles.
Prayer for the Week:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the Earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.
I will eventually begin to add some substantial commentary to these passages that I post, especially in regards to the current season of the calendar. At the moment, I am not only trying to establish the habit of blogging on a regular basis, but also establish the Sunday posts as one that references one of the selected passages from the Lectionary as well as gives the Prayer for the Week laid based on the Book of Common Prayer. Fun? Yes, I believe so.
As a little teaser, I am reading an interesting book that was referred to me by none other than good ole Ross Guthrie called "Evangelical is not Enough" by Thomas Howard. I just read a very intriguing section on the the Flesh and the Spirit that I will share with you later this week. So stay tuned for further developments. For now, toodles.
Prayer for the Week:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the Earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
First Sunday after Epiphany / Prayer for the Week (January 8 - 14)
"Battesimo di Cristo"
By El Greco, 1568
"John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. "And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. "Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. "And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 'I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'” Mark 1:4-11 (ESV)
Prayer Appointed for the Week:
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Epiphany
Good Evening friends,
I know it has been awhile (a long while actually) since my last post. I'm sure many were beginning to wonder if I was actually going to post on "Musings of a Married Man" as an actual married man. Alas though, here is another attempt to begin blogging on a regular basis.
I thought that a good time to pick up this "habit" again would be on the day we observe the Epiphany. For those of you that read my blog (or happen to stumble upon it) that do not know about the season of Epiphany, it is simply the celebration of the coming of the Magi to worship the God-Man, the Word made flesh, Jesus the Christ.
Matthew records the account in the second chapter of his Gospel:
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way."
As I have mentioned before (I think), I love the liturgical calendar for many reasons but one is because we are allowed the opportunity to celebrate and study these different moments in the life of our Lord. It allows us a chance to look again at certain passages of Scripture and to also show how Christ's birth was predicted in the Old Testament. Isaiah writes:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD." Isaiah 60:1-6
Another fun thing about this day is that it gives me an opportunity to plug a great website that a friend of mine operates. You may know what a wonderful resource his website is, but if not, I would like to direct your attention to some of the art on there. This piece is one of my favorites (as well as the song that accompanies it), I highly recommend it and the piece in question fits within our discussion. You can find it here.
There is quite a bit more that could be said about the beginning of this season in the Church, but I will need more content to post so you'll just have to wait until next year for a more in-depth discussion. As has been my custom on here, I will end this year's post on the Epiphany with the Evening Office:
"Oh God, who by the leading of a star did manifest your only begotten son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence where we may behold your glory face to face, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen."
I know it has been awhile (a long while actually) since my last post. I'm sure many were beginning to wonder if I was actually going to post on "Musings of a Married Man" as an actual married man. Alas though, here is another attempt to begin blogging on a regular basis.
I thought that a good time to pick up this "habit" again would be on the day we observe the Epiphany. For those of you that read my blog (or happen to stumble upon it) that do not know about the season of Epiphany, it is simply the celebration of the coming of the Magi to worship the God-Man, the Word made flesh, Jesus the Christ.
Matthew records the account in the second chapter of his Gospel:
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way."
As I have mentioned before (I think), I love the liturgical calendar for many reasons but one is because we are allowed the opportunity to celebrate and study these different moments in the life of our Lord. It allows us a chance to look again at certain passages of Scripture and to also show how Christ's birth was predicted in the Old Testament. Isaiah writes:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD." Isaiah 60:1-6
Another fun thing about this day is that it gives me an opportunity to plug a great website that a friend of mine operates. You may know what a wonderful resource his website is, but if not, I would like to direct your attention to some of the art on there. This piece is one of my favorites (as well as the song that accompanies it), I highly recommend it and the piece in question fits within our discussion. You can find it here.
There is quite a bit more that could be said about the beginning of this season in the Church, but I will need more content to post so you'll just have to wait until next year for a more in-depth discussion. As has been my custom on here, I will end this year's post on the Epiphany with the Evening Office:
"Oh God, who by the leading of a star did manifest your only begotten son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence where we may behold your glory face to face, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen."
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