Epiphany 4 - Can I Please Speak to the Manager?

****
Read the collect, epistle and gospel.
****

Tim pulled into the parking lot. He was in a hurry but needed to use the restroom. He just about blew a tire out when he hit a monstrous pothole just past the entrance. He stifled what he wanted to say, parked his car and headed for the door of the McDonalds. He was looking at his PDA and did not notice the ketchup packet in his path. The speed of his gait and the position that his foot hit the packet caused it to squirt red stuff on his left pants leg. For the second time in 45 seconds Tim felt the vein in his temple throb.

As he walked into the fast food establishment Tim could not believe his eyes, his ears or his nose. There were napkins all over the floor. There was some horrible stench of b. o. in the air. Two of the employees were in a shoving match and shouting expletives at one another. Tim made a beeline for the bathroom. He needed to try and clean off his pants. Bad idea. The bathroom was unspeakably nasty.

Back out front the combatants had ceased their dueling. There was a moment of relative calm and Tim asked for a cup of coffee and a Egg McMuffin. Then the chaos resumed. The cashier rang up the order wrong. Tim tried to pay with a credit card. The machine was not working. Tim pulled out a twenty.

“Uh, sir, we don’t have enough cash in the register to change that right now.”

“You’re telling me that I can’t get any food?”

“Uh, no, sir, I guess not.”

Just then there was a loud crash in the kitchen as a shelf full of pans fell to the ground.

“Why don’t I just give you a cup of coffee.”

“That’d be great.”

Of course there was no creamer. Tim took a sip of the coffee and could not help by spew it from his mouth. It tasted like it had the Windex that the employees had neglected to use on the window in the bathroom.

“What the heck is in this!” Tim yelled.

“Uh, what’s the problem, sir?”

“Can I please speak to the manager?” Tim asked.

“Uh, he’s in the back.”

“Would you please go get him?”

“Uh, he said not to bother him.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Uh, no, sir.”

****
In many respects, the world is a mess.

It is understandable if sometimes we are tempted to wonder if the Manager is around, or if there is a Manager at all. The problem of evil is just that, a problem. The readings for today remind us that there is order in the cosmos and that the Lord rules over all.

The disciples experience torments from without in the form of a storm that threatens their lives. Two men experience torments from within in the form of demons that possess them. In both instances the Lord exhibits his authority over creation.

The advances of science and technology in the modern era have given some people the impression that if we have enough time we will eventually master the world and everything in it. Sorry, friend, that ain’t gonna happen. Our understanding of creation will continue to progress. We will not reach a place where our knowledge is comprehensive. There will always be much that eludes us.

Jesus is the Lord over all creation. I am reminded of the narratives of Genesis 1-3. The Lord brings order to chaos as he is creating the world. I think there is a parallel between that chaos and the disorder of the violent storms that threatened the disciples, and still threaten us today. The Lord promises the defeat and reordering of the rebellion that took place in the Garden. I also see a parallel between that episode and the deliverance of the two demon possessed men in Matthew 8. Whether it is chaos or rebellion, we may trust in the Lord that in his power and his good will towards us he will bring an end to all that harasses us.

Two other examples of suffering from the Gospels might help to clarify what I am trying to say. Luke tells of an episode when some people told Jesus about the murder of a group of worshipping Jews by the Roman official, Pilate. You can read the story here. These people were engaged in the worship of God and were killed.

Jesus connects this tragedy with the accidental death of another group of people. He rhetorically asks those around him if they thought the people in each case were worse sinners than anyone else. The answer is "No." The Lord tells his audience that all people need to repent of their sins, OR ELSE (read it if you don't believe me).

Natural disasters, accidents, injustice, torments from demons. These sources of suffering are common to all mankind, in addition to many other forms of suffering. What the Gospel is telling us is that suffering will happen, but it is right to look to God in the midst of it. We do not know what may befall us. It is crucial for us to stay in right relation to the Lord and our neighbor, including those in authority.

Disorder is a horrible thing, whether it be in the natural order of creation, in man's relating to God, or in human relations with one another. The question is whether or not we will continue to believe in a good God who is able to rule over it all wisely and promises to eventually set everything right.

Hack away.

The First Encyclical of Benedict XVI

****
I wanted you to have the link for the full text of the Pope's first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, God is Love.

I am going to read it this weekend. I have heard some good initial reports.

Hack away.

“Lost” Loses It

****
Oh, Ecko, why’d you have to go and blaspheme, G?

The issue of baptism came up on the TV show “Lost” last night. A character with an infant boy asked another character about the purpose of baptism. The questionee said that baptism was spiritual insurance that got a person into heaven.

Later, the mother puts her questions regarding baptism to a man who had been ordained as a priest so that he could smuggle drugs out of Africa. His answer definitely did not correspond with the Scriptures or the Council of Nicea.

“When John baptized Jesus a dove came down from heaven. This told John something. That he had washed away this man’s sins. Heaven came much later.”

Uh, oh.

“Lost” often deals with subjects such as redemption, forgiveness and the consequences of sin. Sometimes the show is quite good in its portrayals of what people go through as they attempt to deal with their past. Why did the writers have to drop the ball so glaringly? If they had simply left out the comment about Jesus needing to have sins washed away then their comments on baptism would have been Christian. The observation about sin being put away first before one is prepared to go to heaven is a good reminder for many church folks.

To the writers of “Lost,”

Put down Marcus Borg, JS Spong or whatever heretic you have been referencing for your theological insights. Take a look at 1 Peter. Then read St. Athanasius’s brief work “On the Incarnation.” Jesus had no sin. No scholar worth reading would assert otherwise. If you are going to comment on the Christian faith it behooves you to get the details right. Your show will only benefit if you do so.

Hack away.

The Conversion of St. Paul and the Rest of Us

****
The Conversion of St. Paul
1/25/06
Read the collect, epistle and gospel.

I remember a conversation that I had with a guy after my sister’s wedding in 1997. He was a very earnest Christian. We were having a good old time conversating about our shared faith. It was beautiful out. The sun was shining. It was one of those October days that make you glad you’re in the South. You can be outside in shirtsleeves, but it’s not hot enough to make you sweat. And I had someone with whom to talk about Jesus. I was set. In fact, I enjoyed the conversation so much I neglected to eat anything at the reception. Let me tell you, that is saying something. They put out a spread of food that was so good it would make you forget your girlfriend’s birthday.

At one point in our conversation I was lamenting the shallowness that I perceived in some of the people that I knew who professed to be followers of Christ. My new friend said that not every person had experienced such a radical conversion as I had. He then went on to compare what had happened in my life to the conversion experience of the Apostle Paul. All I can say is that he did not know me and was being generous in his assessment of my life.

Today is a good day to remember that someone once compared my conversion to that of the Apostle Paul. It is a good day to go back and read about that watershed event in the history of mankind. It is a good day to think about how pathetic my life is in comparison to the apostle’s. It is a good day to repent of my sins, both of omission and commission. It is a good day to receive the absolution and enabling graciously offered by the Savior. It is a good day to pray the words of the collect. It is a good day to take heart and seek to follow the apostle as he followed the Lord Jesus.

You know what, it is also a good day to remember that I had a watershed event in my own life. I was baptized in water and the Holy Spirit and grafted into Christ by the good pleasure of the Father. I was received into the Church and made a joint heir with Christ in the family of God. The Spirit began to cry in my heart, “Abba, Father.” It will be 15 years ago this May since I was made a partaker of Christ. My highest privilege is participating in the worship of the Holy Trinity alongside the Apostle Paul and all the other saints and Christians who have experienced conversion.

If you are one of those who have had this joyous experience, I count it an honor to call you my family. If you have not yet been converted to God, then I want you to know that you are invited to come. If no one has ever told you so, let me be the first. If you have heard more times than you can count, please allow me to add my voice to those which you have heard. I pray that this time you will not only hear God calling to you but you will answer him by saying “yes” with all of your heart.

Hack away.

Epiphany 3 - Hey, Batter, Batter, Batter ... Saaa-wing, Batter!

****
Read the collect, epistle and gospel.

OK, I've listened to my theme song and I am ready to write. I was having trouble getting started, but now the juices are flowing.

A leper and a Roman soldier are not the likely ones to focus on in a story about a Jewish deliverer. One is diseased because of his sin, or is he? One is an oppressor of the Jews. He is one of the ones the Messiah has come to vanquish, or is he?

I do not want to be cliched in my reflections on this week's readings. Nevertheless, the Christ did things that were unexpected. Somehow they perfectly lined up with the prophecies concerning him. He threw curveballs, but they were all in the strike zone.

We religious folks have a maddening tendency to miss the point. Call it missing the forest for the trees. Call it not seeing the nose on your face. Call it what you will. We just don't get it sometimes.

We are like my favorite athelete growing up, Bo Jackson. You remember Bo. He was a running back at Auburn. He won the Heisman Trophy. He played outfield for the Kansas City Royals and running back for the Oakland Raiders. He hit a home run in his first at bat at his first All Star Game. Nike did an entire ad campaign featuring Bo Jackson playing every sport under the sun. "Bo Knows." Bo Jackson was a complete and total stud.

There was a problem, though. With all his atheleticism, Bo could not hit the curve ball. Who knows why not? He just couldn't. He used to break bats over his knee and his back when he would strike out. Bo broke a lot of bats after fanning at curve balls.

I think we are like Bo Jackson sometimes. We know some stuff. We can look impressive sometimes, but when things come at us in a way we are not used to, when we get a curve ball, we strike out. We are either paralyzed and do not swing or we put all our might into it and move nothing but the air.

I was just reading someone's thoughts on the role of a prophet in society. This guy pointed out how a person who calls others to repentance is very attentive to his own need for repentance. Boy, am I feeling that truth this morning. That's not to say that I in any way consider myself a prophet, far from it. I'm just a guy. Right now I'm a guy trying to make sense of the readings for the 3rd week after Epiphany. Doing so is good preparation for Divine worship, especially since I am reading the epistle in church today.

None of this means that we relegate our role in society as salt and light. We are the bearers of God's truth in the world by our words and our deeds. What our inherent cluelessness should teach us is that we need to exercise some humility as we go about shining the light and salting the earth. We do not back off. However, we do live out the faith recognizing that it is the gift of God and not of ourselves. We have inherited a treasure in the Great Tradition of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

By the way, I neglected to mention that Christian Unity Week began on Wednesday, the day we remember the Confession of St. Peter. It ends this Wednesday, the day we remember the Conversion of St. Paul. So, if you haven't already, be nice to a Baptist.

A leper jumps up, approaches Jesus and gets healed. The leper's story provides a good apologetic against fatalism. He has leprosy. He leaves it to Jesus whether or not he's going to get healed. "Lord, if you're willing, you can heal me." "I am willing," Jesus replies. Now, if it was God's will that the leper was sick, then maybe Jesus and God were not on the same page. If it wasn't God's will for the leper to be sick, then how could he be sick?

Curve ball. Steee-rike One!

A centurion comes to Jesus on behalf of his servant. Did the soldier come to Jesus because he was really concerned for his servant? Did he come because he had a worker who couldn't work due to an illness? Was he more concerned about the servant for the servant's sake or for the work that was not getting done? I don't know. Jesus never asked him. He never made an issue of the soldier's motives. The soldier speaks of authority and obedience. He recognizes results. He identifies with Jesus as someone who speaks, and things get done. Jesus is very responsive and complimentary of this man who serves in an occupying army, who serves Israel's oppressors, who has no right in the covenant.

Vicious breaking ball that the bottom just falls out of. Steee-rike Two!

Jesus winds up and delivers a little sermonette to cap off the episode with the centurion. The soldier hasn't even turned around to leave and Jesus is doling out a serious insult to the Jews. People are going to come from everywhere to sit and dine with the Patriarchs of the Jews. The Jews are going to be cast out. Jesus doesn't even pause for a breath. He doesn't wait for a response. He turns to the soldier and assures him that his servant will be fine.

Fast ball. Steee-rike Three; You're out!

Sometimes the Gospels become familiar in an unhealthy sense. We lose the impact of what's going on. I read an artist who was talking about this tendency in his work. If he became familiar with a subject he was attempting to render, and that familiarity was stale and ahindrance to his work, he sought to "break his eye." By that he meant that he needed to see the subject anew so that his rendering might do justice to the subject.

Jesus slams through the barriers that divide men. He seeks to unite men in their diversity (there's that word from last week). That is why our incorrigible press to separate from one another is so inexcusable, whether this depravity takes the form of the cruel clique-ishness of an American high school or the staggeringly unjust caste system of India. Paul's words in Ephesians 2 about breaking down the walls that part people from one another do not only apply to Jews and Gentiles. Paul uses the particular to illustrate Christ's universal work of reconciliation.

Is it possible for us to live peaceably with all men? Can we overcome evil with good? Or are we resigned to spending our lives fighting with those around us?

Somehow, I believe Jesus can deliver us. I pray that he does.

Prince of peace, have mercy upon us and unite our hearts in your holy, self-giving love.

1, 2, 3, strikes you're out.

And so am I, out that is, like a light.

Hack away.

The Confession of St. Peter

****

The Confession of St. Peter: January 18

The Collect:

Almighty Father, who didst inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep thy Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Readings:

Psalm 23
Acts 4:8-13
1 Peter 5:1-4
Matthew 16:13-19

I'd Punch the Closest Wall if It Wasn't Cinderblock

****
Some things make me want to cry. Some things make me very angry. A few things are able to do both. This is one of those things.

A heretic has been selected as the most influential Christian in America. God help us.

T. D. Jakes is considered by some to be the most influential Christian in America.

T. D. Jakes does not believe in the Trinity.

T. D. Jakes is a heretic.

T. D. Jakes will spend eternity in hell unless he repents of his damnable rejection of the Christian doctrine of God: three Persons who share one substance.

Now, that is language that I refrain from using the vast majority of the time. Why now? I was reading a reasonably good advocacy of dogmatic theology yesterday by David Mills, editor of Touchstone. It is called "Necessary Doctrine: Why Dogma is Needed and Why Substitutes Fail." It is available online and is one of the essays in the book I mentioned yesterday, "Ancient and Postmodern Christianity." Some of the things that Mills said may be behind my forceful condemnation of T. D. Jakes.

(I also thought that if I said the name T. D. Jakes a bunch of times it might increase the chances that axegrinder would turn up when people google T. D. Jakes, or when they search for T. D. Jakes using yahoo, or if they search for T. D. Jakes using msn, or if they search for T. D. Jakes using any other search engine.)

Here is a post I wrote on T. D. Jakes last June. It has a link to T. D. Jakes' view of the Trinity in his own words.

If you go over to the article on the 50 most influential Christians in America, notice how many theologians are in the top 50. Who are the theologians who are influencing the people on that list, if any? What thinkers do they read? (T. D. Jakes needs to read him some St. Athanasius. Are you listening, T. D. Jakes?) Notice how many "high church" Christians are on the list.

All of these things could be biases of the particular webzine presenting the article, or the biases of its readers. Certainly, T. D. Jakes has many fans. Is it possible that T. D. Jakes encouraged ballot stuffing in the voting? No, I doubt that T. D. Jakes would do such a thing. Nevertheless, someone who does not believe in the Trinity is considered the most influential Christian in America.

Pass me the Kleenex and a bandage for my hand.

St Anthony of the Desert

****

Read the collect, epistle and gospel. The two passages were instrumental in Anthony's life.

I may be revealing something morbid or weird about myself, but the above illustration is one of my favorites. I had it on my dorm room door for a couple of years. It speaks to me of the reality of our contact with evil and the serenity with which we can face it when our minds are stayed upon God. Anthony is located above the earth. Maybe there is battle even in our moments of transport, or maybe we are most transported when we are resisting evil in our worship of the Lord. Do you think the depictions of evil are exaggerated?

The most famous work on St Anthony is by St Athanasius. I read it when I first got to seminary. You can read it here.

I am reading right now about a form of prayer and Scripture study known as lectio divina, or divine reading. One of the articles I found talks about how Anthony and the other Desert Fathers practiced lectio divina. Read it here.

Richard John Neuhaus on Nihilism

****
"It is hard to know how seriously we should take the fashionable nihilism of our time. In 'The Closing of the American Mind,' Allan Bloom called it 'debonair nihilism,' which might be described as a flirtation with nothingness that has nothing as a consequence. Bright young things look over the edge into the abyss and gigglingly pronounce it to be 'intriguing.' It has been remarked that suicide is the most sincere form of self-criticism. With respect to the nihilism so enthusiastically embraced by today's herd of independent minds, one might take it more seriously if more of them leaped over the edge. Of course there are such as Michael Foucault who followed the lethal illogic to its end, but there are many more who, like Richard Rorty, declare that 'truth' (in quotation marks) is socially constructed 'all the way down,' yet go on living in pleasantly genteel irony, just as though the quotation marks were not there.

"In today's intellectual climate, self-contradiction is deemed a small price to pay for liberation from the limits of reason. ... The self-described 'madness' of postmodernists who have domesticated Nietzsche to the comforts of the faculty lounge may be dismissed as being simply silly. But, as Richard Weaver understood, silly ideas, too, have consequences. Postmodernism may be a temporary aberration, but 'temporary' may be a long time. It is an intellectual posture well suited to the well situated in a time of affluence and relative tranquility.

"Given this circumstance, what might C. S. Lewis do today? I rather hope that he would continue to do what he did so very well; that he would persistently, persuasively and winsomely make his arguments, engaging people one by one with the questions, Is it not true? Do you not find it to be so? One keeps at this in the confidence that there is such an irrepressible thing as human nature, and people may at some point be shamed into not denying—maybe even admitting—the obvious. Or at some point they may be faced by a question of great personal consequence that requires a yes–or–no, true–or–false, answer. Or, best of all, they may weary of trashing their own dignity as creatures endowed with the divine gift of reason.

"So I would hope that in the postmodern wilderness Lewis would keep on making his arguments, in the confidence that people can be brought to recognize that the rules of reason such as the law of noncontradiction are not the iron cage of outmoded rationalism but reason’s royal road to discovering what is true. ... 'Yes, my dear,' one is inclined to say, 'we see you playing on the edge of the abyss. Now either jump or come away and let’s get on with the conversation. It is really most annoying when you keep interrupting by announcing your discovery of nothing. Everything either is or is not nothing; and if it is, it is nothing. So, whatever you may say, you really cannot have discovered it.'"

excerpts from Richard John Neuhaus "CS Lewis in the Public Square"

Go read the rest of this essay. I quoted from only one section. Neuhaus deserves to be read in his entirety. You will miss out, otherwise.

This essay can also be found in "Ancient and Postmodern Christianity: Paleo-Orthodoxy in the 21st Century: Essays in Honor of Thomas C. Oden" edited by Kenneth Tanner and Christopher A. Hall.

Joyous Diversity

****
2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Read the collect, epistle and gospel.

I am not you. You are not me (make sure you pause here and thank God for that). You are you. I am me. I am glad on both accounts.

It is a shame when I fight so hard to make you conform to my image, and vice versa.

The epistle for today concerns the life of the Church and the righteous deeds of its members. Paul discusses the giftedness of the Church here and in other places. In his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul's use of the body as an image to communicate diversity within the Church is genius.

Unfortunately, that word has fallen on hard times due to misuse, like the word "interesting." A foul-mouthed comedian is not a genius. A perverted, reprobate film director is not a genius. Flaunting debauchery as entertainment is not genius. Likewise, something you disagree with is not "interesting," unless it is actually interesting.

Whew, that was an uneccesary aside.

Another word that has fallen on hard times is "diversity." The diversity that Paul recognizes as God's gift is a diversity of ministries within the body. I believe that this diversity of work indicates a diversity of personalities. Some people just seem more wired to fulfill certain roles in the Church. Have you ever heard someone say that a person was 'born to lead?" Sometimes we recognize these things before a person has done much leading at all.

Diversity within the Church is not a tolerance of sin. I will be plain. Until the Church universally changes her mind on something she has universally condemned for 2 millenia, no one has the right to call that action, lifestyle or choice "Christian" when it has been universally censured by the Church. For example, unrepentant homosexuals and lesbians do not have just grounds to call themselves Christians. People who engage in homosexual activities are sinning against themselves, their partners, the Church and God.

Do not get me wrong. If the Church needs to reexamine this issue, then, by all means, let her do so. Debate on sexual ethics should take place. Reactions to positions poorly stated and ignorantly held do not do us any good. Let's respond to the most reasonable voices on all sides of whatever issue we are investigating. I acknowledge the incredible complexity of many of these issues, including GLBT. Is it possible for us to strongly and irreconcilably disagree and still treat one another with respect as those who have been created in the image of God, however marred by sin? I hope so.

I think the pairing of Paul's words on the life of the Church and John's narrative of the wedding at Cana is fortuitous. Just as the Church requires many members working together with God in order to live wholly, God brought together a cast of characters for the miracle at Cana. Someone alerted Mary as to the wine shortage. She made supplication to Jesus and set about making circumstances as conducive as possible for there to be an answer to her request. Let's not forget the servants. If the servants fail, then that wedding is drier than a revival meeting during Prohibition. The supervisor unwittingly testifies of the miracle. The bridegroom gets the credit when he might have been to blame for the dwindling supply. Looks like life in the Church to me.

The various giftedness of Christ's Body is just that, a gift. Let us accept it as such and help one another to find our places of fruitful service to God, one another and the world. I'll keep filling the water pots up and hope that every once in a while some wine comes out.

Hack away.

Introducing "Poboy Muse"

****

Poboy Muse - A short fiction endeavor

I know that I owe the second chapter of my novel, Monica, to those of you who are regular readers of axegrinder. Again, I apologize for the delay. I have an announcement that may momentarily appease you.

I have decided to go ahead and launch my short fiction site, "Poboy Muse." I make no promises regarding how often I will post. Any new stories will be announced here. I have a number of short stories in various stages.

There is a disclaimer/warning on the site, but I want to share it here also. I will sometimes be writing about subjects that some parents may not want their children to read about in a work of fiction. Parents, preview the stories before you let your children read them. Actually, I would say the same for this site and for the Monica site.

My commitment is to portray the reality of things as they are. I want to write redemptively and I am trying to figure out what that means. “Poboy Muse” is a laboratory for me to experiment with short fiction.

A short story is not a sermon. I do believe that the quality of the story is an end in itself. I am taking Flannery O’Connor as a tutor and reading her book "Mystery and Manners." I may share some of her insights here in the future.

I have posted a very short story on “Poboy Muse.” It is called “Ralph’s Unexpected Contribution.” Take a gander. This is a new arena for me. I welcome criticism, compliments and coinage as I ...

Hack away.

Robert P. George on Academic Freedom

****
Robert P. George has some excellent thoughts over at First Things on academic freedom and its relation to truth. Even if you are not involved in academia, his words are applicable to all people as they seek to know the truth about themselves, God and the world. Here's a teaser:

"We honor academic freedom as a great and indispensable value because it serves the values of understanding, knowledge, and truth that are greater still."

"The liberal arts are liberating of the human spirit because knowledge of truth—attained by the exercise of our rational faculties—is intrinsically and not merely instrumentally valuable."

The axe Makes It Big (sort of)

****
I am now published, in print even! And I was not the one who did the publishing.

The prestigious, world renowned, Christian humor magazine, "The Wittenburg Door," used a piece of mine in their Jan/Feb '06 edition.

It's called "Messin' with Mormons." Unfortunately (for you), the piece is not available online. You'll have to buy the mag to partake of the hilarity.

Forgive me the self-congratulatory indulgence. This is the first time I've been published. I'm smiling a little.

Christ's Baptism - Truth, Beauty & Goodness

****

Here is a great painting of the baptism.

Collect:
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.

Readings:
Psalm 89:1-29
Isaiah 42:1-9
Acts 10:34-38
Matthew 3:13-17
****

Here are a few words regarding Christ's baptism organized around the themes of truth, beauty and goodness.

The baptism of Christ exhibits goodness to us. In his participation in this act we see the Lord's humility. He prevents John from balking at administering the baptism so that they can "fulfill all righteousness." The Lord did not need to be baptized for himself but for us. He humbly identifies with mankind as he continues his kenosis, or emptying. He has come to seek and save those who are lost.

The baptism of Christ reveals truth to us. The two primary declarations about Christ at the baptism open up the Gospel to us. John the Baptist calls us to "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The Father testifies of Jesus with the words "Behold, my son in whom I am well pleased." Jesus is both sacrifice and exemplar. He is our redeemer and our pattern. He is the beloved Son in whom we are offered to the Father by the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of Christ lets us observe beauty. The inner life of the Trinity is represented to us in the cooperative actions of the three divine Persons. The Son has come to perfectly identify with man. The Spirit descends upon him in anointing. The Father speaks words of approbation over him. The Trinity is united in their diverse actions for the redemption of mankind. Each defers to the other. Each honors the other. Each loves the other. The hope for all beautiful relations among men comes from the reality of holy, self-giving love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Hack away.

Epiphany - Christ (Unexpectedly) Revealed

****

Read the collect, epistle and gospel.
****

"Tomar, pitch my tent on that ridge this evening."

"Yes, Master," the servant replied.

Tomar was tired. The band had been traveling West for almost 2 years. He came along on the journey for a change of pace. He thought a long trip outside his homeland would be nice. The novelty of it wore out after about 6 months. It was all he could do to just keep trudging along, following these "seers" on their endless quest to meet some important, Jewish baby.

How could a Jewish baby be any more important than any baby back east? The Jews were servants to the Romans like everyone else. What was the big deal about some little, Jewish brat?

Tomar was sick of the tiny, dirty towns. He was sick of sleeping outside. He was sick of worrying about roving bands of robbers, who would as much slit your throat as look at you. He was sick of the fanaticism of his boss and his boss's friends. "King of the Jews, blah, blah, blah," Tomar had mockingly whispered to himself on more than one occasion.

"Tomorrow we should enter Jerusalem and meet the reigning King there. We have sent Jut-mal ahead to announce our arrival. Something tells me we should be on our guard."

"Yes, Master," Tomar answered.

Early the next morning the company broke camp and set off for Jerusalem. As the seers urgency increased as they neared Jerusalem, their pace quickened. At least Tomar's pace quickened. Of course, the seers were on their camels. What was it to them if both animals and servants wore themselves out transporting them to Jerusalem?

Tomar's spirits did not lift as they were led through Jerusalem towards the Herod's home. The servant's exhaustion was souring more and more into cynicism. He simply did not care about this royal child. He wanted to bathe. He wanted to eat. He wanted to rest in a comfortable place. He wanted off of his feet for a while.

Tomar never saw Herod himself. He waited with the other servants. When his master returned from the meeting he looked concerned.

"Something's not right," was all that Tomar overheard his master say to the other seers. They were eager to get out of Jerusalem and make their way to a town called Bethlehem. Finally, the last leg of the journey.

The last portion of the journey was surprisingly pleasant for Tomar, yet he did not know why. His master was still pushing hard to find the young king. Their pace had not slackened at all. Still, Tomar felt some of his master's enthusiasm starting to rub off on him.

"We're here," the seer announced after consulting with a local. The company found a group of laborers to watch over their possessions so that they could all participate in the visitation. After all the build up, the anticipation, the seers' words Tomar felt a longing rising in him in spite of himself.

The men came to a humble house on a nondescript street in the town. As they approached, they almost held their breath. Tomar looked up one last time before entering the house and saw their guide, the one star that had led them all this way.

Though behind the seers and shoulder to shoulder with the other servants, Tomar had a perfect view of the child. He was captivated as he gazed on the boy in his mother's arms. The visitors all went to their knees. It was as if the babe had cast a spell on them. Each man, in the days that followed, mentioned how he felt the eyes of the infant look into his soul. Each man felt exposed, and yet comforted. They had found who they had sought for so long.

Tomar's cynicism and exhaustion, his impatience and his doubts, all melted away in the presence of the baby king. He left his homeland for a change of scenery. What he found in this foreign land was a change of spirit.

The visit did not last long. It felt like they had been there for hours. It felt like they had been there for moments. As they left, the seers presented the child with royal gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. As they were backing out of the house, Tomar handed an object to the man he had heard referred to as Joseph.

"Please, for the boy," was all that Tomar said.

Joseph looked down at the gift. It was a handsized piece of wood that had been beautifully carved.

"What is it?" Mary asked her husband after the visitors had gone.

"It's a star," Joseph replied.

****

The truths of the faith affect us in various ways at various times. The Christian Year offers us opportunities to take a pilgrimage through the life of Christ every year from Advent through Ascension. We increase the likelihood that a particular aspect of the Gospel will grip us by spending time meditating on it.

Sometimes we are unexpectedly surrounded by the light of one of these aspects of our faith. I have been trying to work on a post for Epiphany and have not come up with anything. It is almost midnight. January 6th is almost over. I got an email a few minutes ago that helped put me on course. A friend of mine offered a testimony concerning the gracious acceptance God offers to his enemies, of which we all were at one time or another. I would like to say a few personal words about the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.

The Gentiles who are specifically remembered today are the kings who showed up about two years after the nativity of Jesus. They had followed a star to the place where Jesus was living. They brought royal gifts and bowed to worship the young king. Only God knows the backstory of the kings.

Were they looking for the advent of the Jewish Messiah? Not likely. Were they righteous men who lived as well as they could? That's possible. How is it that they were chosen to see the star that led them to Christ? Were they actually chosen, or were they simply paying attention when others were not? I don't know.

What I do know is that the epistle for the day recognizes the universal invitation of the Gospel. I was neither royal in character or rank when I heard the voice of Jesus faintly echoed in my best friend's mother as she issued an ultimatum for me to begin attending church with their family. There was nothing noble about my decision to follow them to the place where Jesus lived. I went, but it was with reluctance and disinterest.

As a teenager, I had a filthy mouth and a mind to match. I sometimes come to tears when I think about how many times I used the name of Jesus as a curse word. While the hymns of the Church have the preeminent place in my heart musically, I still hold dear some of the gospel songs that I learned after college.

"I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I."

I spent about 3 years in the Church before I was baptized. During that time I cannot say I was following either Christ or his followers very closely. I was not looking for a savior. Things began to change during my senior year of high school. By the spring the Lord must have known I was ready. My youth minister told me I needed to be baptized. I consented.

Right before my high school graduation, my sister and I were baptized at Doraville Associate Reformed Presbyterian church. My parents and some friends were in attendance that day. Someone else was in attendance that day. The Holy Spirit engrafted me into Christ and I became an adopted child of the heavenly Father. The Daystar arose in my heart, and I was able to cry, "Abba, Father." The Christ was manifested to another gentile. The vocation of the Magi, the disciples and all the saints became my vocation: to participate in the worship of the Trinity. I highly recommend it.

Hack away.

Advent Season Archives

****
Advent 2005

Advent 1 - A Neon Sign, a Megaphone and a Penitent Heart

Advent 2 - A Horror Movie and a Hero

Shout Out to St. Nick

Advent 3 - John the Blues Singer

Advent 4 – God’s MC

Christmas Eve - The Powers That Be

Christmas Day – Stella and the Trinity

St. Stephen's Day

The Circumcision of Christ

Theologians, Who Needs ‘Em?

****

Is the theologian an excrescence on the Body of Christ, the Church?

Excrescence -
1. a growth that sticks out from the body of a human, animal, or plant, especially an abnormal or diseased one
2. an ugly addition or extension to something, for example, a building

How often do I hear the work of the theologian dismissed, disregarded and disparaged? I want to be understanding of those who say such things. I think I can sympathize if I remember that I have read some theologians who make the faith rather dull and tedious.

I am soliciting comments from you, whoever you are. I want to know what you think about theologians, theology and their relation to the Church. Have you had good experiences? Have you heard things said by theologians that you believe would make the angels weep? Have you sat down to read a book of theology and felt like you were eating a plate of sawdust with a side order of chalk and a glass of dust to wash it all down? I want to hear it all: good, bad, indifferent, insightful, inciteful, all of it.

I think I will benefit from some candid feedback/interaction regarding my possible future vocational choice. I may seek entrance into the academic world. Even if I do not, I plan to support the work of theologians by reading their books and engaging with their thoughts.

So let me hear from you in the comments section or by email. Here's your chance to

Hack away.

The Circumcision of Christ

****

Read the collect, epistle and gospel.
****

Janet took the book off the shelf next to the stereo. It was wedged between the CD holder and the TV. She had left it there out of guilt, or respect, or something. Her mother had given it to her about a year before she died. Cancer. Her father had never been very emotionally available. After mom died he retreated even farther into his cave.

Janet had gone to a few parties the night before with her on again off again boyfriend, Mark. She decided to steer clear of the drinking. Mark did not. She spent too much of the evening keeping him out of trouble. She hated when Mark drank like that.

She was up earlier that usual for a Sunday morning, especially for New Year’s Day. It was 9:00 AM. She knew that 500 miles away her grandmother was getting ready for church and probably praying for Janet. “Oh, grandma, how many times have you prayed for me?”

Janet felt awkward holding the leather covers in her hand again. She hoped Mark would not surprise her by getting up before noon. She was pensive. She needed some time to herself to think.

There was no doubt that the fact that it was New Year’s Day had something to do with her state of mind. While acknowledging the fact, Janet didn’t avoid following her thoughts down whatever path they might lead her.

As she sat down on the couch with her coffee, she remembered a phrase that she had heard her grandmother say on so many early mornings at her house in Asheville during the 6 summers she had spent there after her mother’s death.

“God’s mercies are new every morning, Janny.”

“Yes, Mama Kate,” Janet would manage to say as her grandmother glided across the room, opening curtains and setting some freshly squeezed juice on the table next to her bed. Janet would blink the sleep out of her eyes as they adjusted to the light. Then she would get up and help her grandmother with breakfast, gardening, shopping and whatever else she had to do before lunchtime. Janet would then spend her afternoons working at the local market for Mr. Thompson. He paid her more than he could afford, and she was grateful.

Those months would include many hours at Mama Kate’s church. Janet did not attend church back home with her father. They went sporadically while Janet’s mom was in the hospital. They quit the week after the funeral. Janet did not mind going with her grandmother. It was simply a part of those summer months in Asheville. And, truth be told, she liked going to church with Mama Kate.

It had been 8 years since Janet had spent a summer with her grandmother. She went for Christmas every year, no matter what. She called at least once a month, usually more. MK had slowed down noticeably in the last five years but was still very active. Janet could not stay away. She didn’t want to. Every contact with her mother’s mother left Janet with both longing and joy.

Katherine Louise Parker knew about loss. Her husband died in World War II. She had worked as a nurse for 40 years. She had participated in dozens of medical mission trips with her church and other organizations. People were always trying to get her to go. She had been to 32 countries and had spent significant time in 17. She had no favorite. MK had lanced boils in Bangladesh, pulled teeth in Bolivia and patched up bullet holes on the Sudanese border. When the situation was right, she could keep a room spellbound with stories that revolved around the people she had helped and worked with throughout the world. Yet, she was remarkably unassuming. No one had ever called her pretentious.

Despite the severity of the things she had seen, Janet thought of her grandmother as a very happy person. You laughed at Mama Kate’s house. There were serious times, but music and joking were always in the next room expectantly waiting their turn.

Now Janet was sitting in her apartment, thinking about her grandmother. She had gotten back from MK’s 3 days ago. Something was lingering with her. Kate always affected her Janny, but this time something was different. The longing and joy were replaced by guilt and hope, or was it promise?

Janet’s life was so all over the place. She was constantly running from one thing to the next. She had dabbled in some things that she knew would trouble Mama Kate. Despite her experiments she had something that centered her, brought her back from those times.

As Janet looked back over the last year and over the last 8 years, she felt ashamed. It seemed that what was lingering with her was the sense that everything that she was focused on was ignoble or unworthy of the attention she was giving to it. She had seen crack addicts begging strangers and friends for money. She had observed the toll that their habit had taken on their dignity and their health. She had pitied them. She was seeing herself as a addict of a different sort, no more dignified, despite outward appearances.

Janet had been thinking about these things for a few days. But the thoughts were more like deer in the deep woods than people sitting across the table. Now they were on the couch with her, looking her in the face. They wanted her full attention.

Janet had not prayed in a few years. Yes, she had said an occasional word or two in an upward direction but she had not put much of herself into those words. She finally had something to say but wasn’t sure how to say it.

She muttered some broken words and phrases. She sat in silence. She looked through a few Psalms and then leafed through the New Testament for a while.

“Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.” Janet remembered that was one of Mama Kate’s favorites. She started reading. As she was reading through chapter 2 one passage especially caught her attention. Paul seemed to be telling his readers that they did well when he was around. He wanted them to do equally well when he was not around. He wanted them to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling.”

Janet knew her grandmother was no fool. Janet went along with whatever MK did when she was in Asheville. Mama Kate knew Janet was not a Christian when she left Asheville.

If Paul felt the need to remind his readers, who were obviously trying to be faithful at all times, to be obedient when he was not present with them, what might MK say to Janet? Janet felt very weak. She did not feel up to the challenge. She suspected that any serious attempt at Christianity would involve a pretty major overhaul of her life. For starters, either she or Mark would be finding a new place to live.

Janet looked down at the page again and smiled. She knew that what was taking place would require a lot of work to maintain and build upon. That is what caused Paul’s next words to make her smile. “It is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Janet leaned her head back on the couch and exhaled deeply. She could handle whatever work lay ahead if God would supervise.

**

I hope you looked at the readings for today, already. I want to mention two words in connection with those readings: identification and synergism.

The incarnation is all about identification. Think of the events of Christ’s life: birth, circumcision, baptism, temptation, suffering, death and resurrection. They all connect with something about our lives. Circumcision is a bit trickier than some of the others, since only half of humankind are candidates for circumcision.

I do not want to take the time here to go into a detailed discussion of circumcision. It symbolically refers to the removal of sin from our lives. In this way it connects with the experience of all people, male and female. We all need God to “circumcise our hearts.” We all need for him to help us to overcome desires that are disordered and priorities that are askew.

The second word that I would like to mention is synergism. The basic idea here is that two people are working together to accomplish one goal. In this case, the coworkers are God and man. Paul exhorts us to obedience in working out our salvation. He then assures us that our work is a cooperative labor with God, who is already at work accomplishing his good pleasure in our lives.

New Year’s Day is the day set aside by parts of the Church for remembering the circumcision of Christ. I see something in this “coincidence.”

Resolution is a big word associated with the beginning of the New Year. We look back over the previous year and identify some things that we would like to change about ourselves. For a Christian these could simply be areas for improvement and growth, or they might also be areas for repentance and renewal. I believe the readings for the day, while focused more on the sin/holiness issue, address the maturation question, as well.

Our reflections are enabled by the Holy Spirit. We think about the life of Christ in which he lived in perfect obedience and charity. We desire to emulate this life. At the same time we are painfully aware that we have failed miserably.

We should take heart from today’s readings. On New Year’s Day we are reminded that Jesus Christ has perfectly identified with all mankind in the incarnation. He has lived with us. On this ground we are able to live with God. We can make true resolutions to confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord with our good living. This living is enabled by the Holy Spirit and brings glory to the Father.

Hack away.