My Tribute to Our Good Shepherd

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The image of Christ as the Good Shepherd is very personal with me. The Good Shepherd icon is one of my two favorites (the other is the Descent into Hades). I have it hanging in a prominent place in my bedroom. I see three prominent themes in the Propers for Easter 2 relating to the Good Shepherd concept: protection, leadership and sacrifice.

The Good Shepherd defends his flock from danger, as he is present with them in every place. He never runs away in fear. He never bails out.

There was a striking episode in my life when I experienced the protection of the Good Shepherd as he rescued me from harm. After I graduated from college I was subject to a very harmful mentality. I was extremely suspicious of everyone who named the name of Jesus, not because I didn’t like Christianity, but because I thought most of the Christianity I had seen was woefully sub par.

I found a church home and mentor in East Texas at the end of the summer in 1994. After eight months I got wanderlust and left. That was the wrong decision. I needed to stay put and receive more discipleship from my mentor, Bracy Greer. I was not mature enough to recognize how immature I was.

Well, I wandered around for a while and eventually settled back in Atlanta. I did not have a relationship with a pastor and suffered for it. I had an intense desire to know and serve the Lord. What I did not have was a community to help me to discern the Lord’s direction for my life.

The Good Shepherd got a hold of me. I think it was Phillip Keller who said that when a sheep would repeatedly wander from the fold the shepherd would break one of its back legs. He would then carry it draped around his shoulders until it could walk. When it was first finding its legs again, the sheep would keep very close to the shepherd. Eventually, when the leg was completely healed, the sheep would not wander far from the shepherd again.

That is what happened to me. I began to see my weakness and the danger I was in. I knew I was in trouble. I think the Lord wounded me so that I would not get into big trouble or do drastic damage to anyone else.

I mentioned three lessons about the Shepherd that the Propers teach us. The second is leadership. I received a big lesson in this aspect of shepherding as the Lord led me out of Pentecostalism and to the seminary where I received so much good from his hand.

Despite the tremendous pressure to conform in the tiny Pentecostal group of which I was a part, the Lord put a disturbance in my soul. He exposed me to some materials that historically called into question the presuppositions of Pentecostalism and other restorationist movements. That was one of the ways in which he led me.

The irony of this part of my story is that the pastor of the Pentecostal church I went to was the one who introduced me to the writings that helped to begin freeing my mind to think in a more fully and historically Christian manner. For that I give him eternal thanks and pray for his blessing upon my friend Vic Reasoner and the rest of the FWS. The prayers of my parents must also be mentioned as being a big factor in my emancipation.

The next part of the story is how I got to Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS from a storefront Pentecostal group in Woodville, MS. Vic Reasoner played a big part in that move, as did the folks at Faith Independent Methodist in Marietta, GA. My parents were very supportive during this period as I was trying to figure out what to do next.

My mentor, Bracy Greer from East Texas, helped me think through my options. As I look back, I see the Good Shepherd at work through Pastor Greer. I was not sure about what I should be doing with my life. I had some ideas. Seminary was one of them. He told me that, whatever I decided, I should stick with it for at least a year. That way, if I had a bumpy start, I would have some time to settle in and work out the kinks.

No bolts of lightning. No burning bushes. No talking donkeys. Nothing like that. I simply experienced the help of the Good Shepherd through the faithful intercessions, counsel and friendship of his flock. Amen.

If you read this blog, you will discover ways that the Lord has led me since I entered seminary and the Anglican Communion.

Finally, I want to say a word or two about the sacrifice of the Good Shepherd. Christ’s atonement has made the way for us to die to our sins and live righteously. Believe me, I recognize that this is no small feat. You and I know ourselves. It is a good thing that we have such a capable Savior and such a perfect salvation upon which to depend.

I do not want to commit either of two mistakes. I do not want to make sin some kind of unconquerable enemy. I also do not want to make holy living out to be some kind of cakewalk. We are at war, but it is a war that we can win because of the Shepherd who died for us. He will heal us as we participate in the sacramental life of his Church.

“ALMIGHTY God, who hast given thine only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life; Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Propers for Easter 2

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Filed in Easter and Autobiography

Related Tags: Easter, Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd, Atonement, Salvation, Holiness

A Priest Named Sue

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Apologies to Johnny Cash, God rest his soul. Apologies also to Shel Silverstein, who wrote the lyrics to "A Boy Named Sue."

You can listen to me "sing" my version by clicking here.

A Priest Named Sue

Well, my bishop went crazy in ’73
(Which was par for the course for the episcopacy)
And brought about some rapidly emptying pews.
It was no surprise when he went off the skids,
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was in ’84, he sent us a priest named Sue.

He didn’t intend it to be joke.
The old timers just about croaked.
And all things old were traded for the new.
Some scholar’d start talkin’ bout something he’d read.
Then start expounding, and I’d scratch my head.
All this so they could make room for a priest named Sue.

Well, she moved in quick, but it was far from clean.
She used big words, but our wits weren’t keen.
Where was the faith that had always seen us through?
So I made me a vow to the moon and the stars
That I’d search the Bible and all the Fathers
And understand the conundrum of a priest named Sue.

Well, it was Trinity season, mid-July.
We were having our annual church fish fry.
The bishop was to visit and tell us what was new.
Some die hards had gotten up the guts
To tell that bishop what was what
About his poster girl, the priest named Sue.

Well, I knew that bishop had been on track
For administratin’ he had the knack
With degrees and titles that stretched a mile long.
So it was quite a blow when he went astray,
Parroting the trendy voices of the day.
It was quite a grief that he had gone so wrong.

Well he talked about justice but never the Word
And he spoke of forgiveness but never the blood
His words had a foreign sound in all our ears.
Where was the faith delivered to the saints?
Replaced by socio-political rants
And not tested by the Church, or the Word, or the years.

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
“Your new orthodoxy is a pack of lies.”
But it was clear that he didn’t have ears to hear.
I appealed to the Fathers and to Church Tradition,
To the Councils and the Scriptures and the Church’s mission,
But to him my words were outdated and queer.

I tell ya I’ve talked to denser men
But I really can’t remember when,
Though I wasn’t speakin’ in an unknown tongue.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss.
He was shakin’ his head, but I’d been shakin’ mine first.
He sat there lookin’ at me and I saw him grin.

He said, “Son, this is the age of nice
“And if you’re gonna make it here, you’re gonna pay a price,
“While we redefine the faith to help it move along.
“So I sent you this priestess to be your guide
“And I knew you’d either leave us or get on our side.
“I didn’t think you’d be this stubborn or this wrong.”

He said, “Son, you’ll never win this fight.
“You might hate me for bringin’ this fact to light.
“To join us is the only option left for you.
“Another will replace me when I die,
“No matter how long you wait or how hard you try.
“We will never repent for ordaining a priest named Sue.”

I got sick to my stomach and threw up my lunch
All over his vestments, and I have a hunch
That he won’t be back to indoctrinate us with his view.
I looked at our rector and I started to wretch.
She knew she’d either have to flee or catch.
We won’t be bothered again by a priest named Sue.

I think about that day, now and again
Every fight we lose and the few we win.
Neither side will ever change their view.
When I’m recommending churches to new converts,
I tell them of my people and all our warts
And I recommend they go to ...
Rome or Constantinople or the Continuing Movement!
I’m still sick to my stomach!

Hack away.

Posted in Humor and Satire.

Related Tags: Humor, Satire, Johnny Cash, Women's Issues, Feminism, Anglicanism, ECUSA, Episcopal Church, Ordination, Priests, Priesthood

Pretty Much Everything I Know in 771 Words

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If I were to sum up the teaching of the Easter 1 Propers in one sentence it would be: God beginning and perfecting the work in us by the incarnation and atonement of his Son and the person and witness of the Holy Spirit, we put away our sins, overcome the tyranny of “the world” and serve the Lord by faith in Christ within the context of the Church that Christ sent into the world as his Father sent him into the world. I know; that’s quite a mouthful. I’ll try to break it down a bit.

We all readily and heartily affirm that we are utterly dependent upon the good Lord for our salvation. We cannot begin, continue or complete the life of faith without his enabling. God will not share his glory with anyone else. Nevertheless, God does endow his creation with its own glory. This created glory does not detract from the uncreated glory of God; it bears witness to it. It is a derived glory.

Mankind is not primarily defined by sin. Being human does not equal being sinful. The first word about and primary definition of mankind is that we are created in God’s image. When someone raises an objection to the incarnation based on the assertion that Jesus could not have been completely human without being sinful, that person proffers a deficient anthropology. That is to say, that person does not understand what it means to be human. Indeed, Jesus was the most fully human of us all in that he never sinned, among other things. We are the one’s who are not fully human. You do not define a thing by a defective copy but by the pattern. In this case, the pattern is Jesus Christ, our exemplar and savior.

What does that have to do with glory? Well, our glorious Creator has called us to a life of holiness. He has made the way for us to live this life by the incarnation and atonement of his beloved Son. He sacramentally actualizes this reality in the context of the Church by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We are not passive in the process. If we are successful, it is because God grants us the grace to be. If we are successful, it is only because Jesus first succeeded in our stead. His work does not make ours unnecessary; his work makes ours possible. We can now put away our sins and live a pure life because the Trinity has made the way for us. If we are holy people in the midst of all the sin of this world, then that is a glorious thing.

I am trying to keep the importance of the Church very visible. The faith by which we live is found within the Church. There is a historic continuity in the religion of YHWH. We are not here without Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets. We are not here without Mary, John the Baptist and the Apostles. We are not here without the Apostolic Fathers and the first Apologists. We are not here without all the Patristic Fathers and the Saints from the first to the 21st century. The Bible was given to us by the Church of the Old and New Testaments. It was given to us by the Church of the first four centuries. It was given to us by the Church that has stood from their time to ours. Likewise, the sacraments are only valid within the context of the Church. “He who has not the Church for his Mother has not God for his Father.”

I know that is a controversial statement, so I am glad that it did not originate with me. I am seeking to be as unoriginal, non-trendy and derivative as possible. I know the questions about the people who are converted in solitary confinement or where the Church is not. These examples only serve to emphasize the importance of the Church by their relative scarcity.

Our faith is not a solitary faith, neither contemporarily nor historically. We believe in the communion of the saints. The historicity that we are so dependent upon and defensive of does not only apply to the life, sufferings, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and session of Christ. It also applies to the commission, birth, development, spread and perpetuity of the Church of Jesus Christ. The authority of the Church should never be a departure point for power plays and divisions. It is intended for safety, nurturing and instruction in the truth of the Gospel. Let us labor and pray that it would be so.

Propers for Easter 1

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Posted in Easter, Theology

Related Tags: Easter, Eastertide, Church, Jesus Christ, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Faith, God, Salvation

Imagine That, A Gift of the Spirit ...

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... especially among Christians.

OK, forgive the sarcasm. It is either very early or very late. I have not slept much over the last couple of days due to travel, purchasing a car and working 3rd shift. Nevertheless, I have something cheery to talk about. Actually, I want to bear witness to a work of the Holy Spirit that I witnessed this past weekend.

I went to Florida for the baptism of my niece and nephew. While there I met an older friend of my sister's. She is a fine, Christian woman who frequently hosts meals, Bible studies and other gatherings. I was able to observe her a little at two meals that she hosted this weekend. I was impressed by how she yielded to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. She seems to have found a number of ways to serve the Lord in her particular social context.

One thing that stood out to me was how attentive she was to all of her guests. There were a lot of people present. She knew all of their names. She was very active in making introductions. She was responsible for organizing seating arrangements for over fifty people and seemed to have an uncanny ability at matching people who would be interested in talking with each other.

Now, most of my experience with that aspect of her giftedness came through my immediate company during the two meals I went to that she hosted. I am not a social butterfly. I am definitely averse to large events with people I do not know. Some people are great at mixing things up, shaking hands, striking up conversations and all that good stuff. I do not happen to be one of those people. Although, I think I am improving ever so slightly with age. I turned 33 on Monday.

Anywho, I am grateful to have witnessed another example of a Christian layperson who has found the way in which God has given them to serve others and be an example of his goodness. I have been repeatedly privileged to be hosted by Christians who know what they are about within the context of the Holy Family. May we all follow their faith and faithfulness as we ...

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Posted in Friends, General

Related Tags: Gifts of the Spirit, Hospitality, Christianity, Church, Discipleship

Hilarious Normalcy

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Forbid it that I should be a complete party pooper, especially after the heights of joy that attend the celebration of Easter, but today’s readings call us to pay attention to some hard truths. I know, I know, so soon after one of the two highest days in the Christian year? Yes, sweetheart, so soon.

But before we get into that, let’s have a laugh at ourselves as we identify with the disciples. Jesus shows up in the room with the disciples and scares them out of their wits. Here is another place where the Scripture overstates something for effect. “They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.”

OK, Luke, we get the point. “They were scared, see. I mean, they were really scared. You know, like, really, really scared. They thought they had seen a ghost.” Yes, Luke, we got it, the disciples did not expect what happened and it frightened them.

So what does Jesus do? He understates the whole thing like it’s completely normal. “Hey, guys, why are y’all wettin’ yourselves. It’s just me. Got anything to eat?”

I love it. Rather than getting down there on the floor and petting their little fears, the Lord acts like everything is normal. He’s there to spend time with them and would like some grub. Don’t ever let anyone tell you being spiritual is weird or contrary to a life lived as it is supposed to be. Granted, it is revolutionary. It overturns everything in creation that is currently upside down (and that’s a lot of stuff). It kicks sin in the butt and reorders our lives so that we may be unhindered by sin and death. The problem is that some of us like our encumbrances.

Alright, enough of the antics, let’s get down to it. Once the Lord has everyone calmed down he gives them a charge. They are to be witnesses of what they have seen and what he has taught them. It is a tall order. The resurrection has opened the door for Jesus Christ to be known everywhere, in all nations of the world.

Well, it all sounds great, but there is going to be opposition. It will be a bumpy road, but the journey will be abundantly worth it. Not everyone will believe the report of the disciples. Some will go so far as to violently oppose them. Come to think of it, eleven of the twelve apostles were killed because of their faith and works. We all know they tried to kill John, but he survived being boiled in oil and lived into his nineties.

I want to celebrate the feast that Jesus provides and to which the apostles invited us. I also want to be found worthy to join them at the eternal feast. Let's do it together.

Propers for Easter Tuesday

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Posted in Easter

Related Tags: Easter, Eastertide, Jesus Christ, Resurrection, Evangelism, Missions, Christianity

God’s Curveballs

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There is continuity to all of God’s actions. We do not know the end from the beginning, only God does. We are like the disciples. Often what seems like defeat to us is the very manner in which God will achieve a victory that seems too good to be true. Often what seems incongruous with what we previously knew about God is the outworking of his good plans for us.

Two disciples unwittingly encountered Jesus after the resurrection. They did not understand how the Messiah could have been killed. All seemed like it was lost. Jesus must not have been the Christ. Yet, there was still a glimmer of faith in their hearts. They simply needed the Lord to reveal himself to them. He showed them God’s plan in the Scriptures. Then he opened their eyes as he broke bread for them.

Peter was busy leading the fledgling Church. He was zealous for the truth and the spreading of the Gospel. The Lord had to arrange a raft of circumstances to propel him forward in taking the Gospel to the Gentiles. There was much prejudice to overcome, though if you study the Old Testament you will see that the Lord’s intention was always the inclusion of the Gentiles (see especially Exodus 19). Peter was willing to have his eyes opened and he participated in his second Pentecost at Cornelius’s house.

We need the Lord to reveal himself to us. He never contradicts himself. Nevertheless, we are utterly dependent upon him to show us the difference between truth and error, between his actions and some event that is contrary to his will. Left to our own powers, we will make many mistakes and end up opposing something that he is doing. We need to live in the context of the Church where there is safety in a consensual, universal discernment process. I am not naïve. I realize that our divisions are very real. Our ability to discern the Lord’s actions is seriously hindered by our schisms. That motivates me to pray for the unity of Christendom.

Propers for Easter Monday

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Posted in Easter

Related Tags: Easter, Easter Monday, Eastertide, Jesus Christ, God, God's Will

Look Up

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CHRIST IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

The special sentences (Scripture verses) for Morning Prayer during Eastertide bring three distinct aspects of Christ’s resurrection to our attention. First, we are now keeping a holy feast. Second, we are dead unto our sins. Third, we are delivered from death. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Christ has fulfilled all the requirements and sacrifices of the Law of Moses, the Torah. What was done in shadows is now done in substance. This fullness of Christ’s atonement is typified by the Passover. Christ is our Passover. He is our salvation. We now keep a holy feast, the Eucharist. We have been called to the table to partake of Christ’s body and blood. He is risen from the dead. As we eat of his flesh and drink of his blood we receive eternal life. We enjoy the communion of the Trinity. We are joined in the offering of Christ to the Father by the Holy Spirit.

Christ took our sins to the grave. He died the death that comes as the result of sin, though he had never sinned. He overcame sin through dying and rising from the dead. He will never die again. The war has been won. We may join him in the victory he has achieved over sin. We may live now as those who are joined with Christ in being dead to sin. Think of it, as shocking as it sounds. Try to hear with the ears of faith. Listen closely to the Lord as he calls you to join him. You can be dead to your sins, whatever they are, however they harass you. No matter how hopeless it seems, Jesus can lift you out of that pit.

Everyone who will be joined to Christ will be raised from the dead. As surely as Adam’s Fall has affected us all, so sure is it that Christ’s resurrection can raise us all. Adam’s falling has been undone by Christ’s rising. Though death is still an enemy we must face, we need not ever fear it again. Christ has defeated death through death. His resurrection elevates our attention from the ignoble elements of a fallen, corrupted world to the glories and perfections of a redeemed one. Think on these things.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Propers for Easter

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Posted in Easter

Related Tags: Easter, Easter Sunday, Eastertide, Resurrection, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Religion, God

The Harrowing of Hell

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I really like Holy Saturday. The icon for this day is magnificent. You can see different ones here and here.

Jesus is the Lord over all creation. His dominion is complete. There are no nooks and crannies that are out from under his care and judgment. All things have been committed unto him by his Father.

Death is no exception. Today, Holy Saturday, Jesus lies in the tomb. He is in hell. Have no fear, he is not being tortured or tormented by the devil or the flames, like some idiots teach. He is there to deliver people from the place of death to the place of eternal life.

Have you ever had the misfortune of listening to the Christian singer Carman? He had a snarky song that talked about the victory that Jesus accomplished while he was in the grave. I think the song is silly, but the sentiment is not incorrect.

One of the fifty cent words I learned in seminary was recapitulation. It is a way of describing the saving works of Christ in his incarnation. The basic idea is that he took all of Adam's failures and corrected his mistakes. He lived out human life, going back over all the rough places and making them smooth.

The last enemy, death, also had to be dealt with by our Lord. In order to defeat death, he had to die. He went to hell. Take heart, my friend, there is no place deep and dark and desperate enough for you to descend that the Lord cannot find you and deliver you. You cannot sink low enough. If you cry out to him, he will come and save you. He went to the deepest depths of death and hell for you.

Propers for Holy Saturday

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Posted in Lent, Theology

Related Tags: Lent, Holy Saturday, Holy Week, Hell, Jesus Christ, Salvation

“They Shall Look On Him Whom They Pierced”

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Today is a day of days. Today is the preeminent day when we remember the death of our Lord Jesus, the beloved of the Father, the one on whom the Holy Spirit abode with power. Today is the day we look on him whom we all pierced.

There are three collects for Good Friday. The first focuses on the passion of the Son, who went through this day for the family of God. The second directs our attention to the Holy Spirit and his ministry within the Church as Lord and Sanctifier. The third collect gives a beautiful account of the Father as Creator, Lover, Revealer and Gatherer of those who do not know him.

I love the Trinitarian fullness exhibited in these collects. There is a verse in Hebrews 9 that also points to the reality that all three persons of the Trinity were active in accomplishing the salvation of mankind. “For by the eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God.” Sometimes we lose the Trinity in the Passion. We think about the cry of dereliction, “Why have you forsaken me?” and see a solitary figure on a hillside.

Jesus did not atone for our sins by himself. We must remember that all that Jesus did he did by the Holy Spirit, from incarnation to resurrection, ascension and session. We must also remember that everything that the Son did he did unto the Father, speaking his words and doing his will. The Spirit is not an impersonal entity or some thing that binds the Father and Son together. The Father is not our enemy. Jesus did not stand between a victimized humanity and an abusive God. That is not what mediation means. The persons of the Trinity acted in unity for the salvation of humanity.

“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

Propers for Good Friday

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Posted in Lent, Theology

Related Tags: Lent, Good Friday, Holy Week, The Cross, Trinity, Salvation, Atonement

"We Want The Bad Guy"

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I would like to share an application that has helped me when thinking about the episode when Christ and Barabbas were standing before the mob. It may seem a bit extreme to apply it to the little things in our lives, but bear with me and see if I'm not on to something.

Paul emphasizes the idea that those who have believed in Jesus are now "in Christ." Those two little words contain such an ocean of profundity. Some other phrases that relate to "in Christ" are "walking in the Spirit" and "being partakers of the divine nature." For those of us who were not baptized as infants, we consciously faced a time when we were out of Christ. The Father caused his face to shine upon us in the person of his Son and he sent the Holy Spirit to baptize us into his body.

We were followers of the first Adam. We are now living in communion with the last Adam, Jesus Christ. We do not change allegiances back and forth, although, unfortunately, some do.

I think another way to picture the first and last Adams is to look at the contrast between Barabbas and Christ. We live in a world that is always hostile to Jesus, a world that will always prefer a man like Barabbas. The smiling faces we see every day can turn dark in an instant if pushed to clearly choose between Christ and something else. It's not that the "something else" is so great; it's just that Jesus is so damn troublesome.

I believe that the temptations to sin that we face can be likened to the voice of the crowd calling for Barabbas. "Give us anything but Christ!" Give us a thief, a liar, a murderer, a pervert, a good old boy, an actor, whatever. Just don't make us take that guy as our ultimate point of reference for good and evil. Don't make us admit our frailty and wickedness. Don't make us acknowledge that there is a God who will judge us according to what we have done.

So we face the crowd in a myriad of different ways every day. Sometimes the crowd is a waiter at a restaurant. Sometimes it is the devil sitting on our shoulder who whispers in our ear. Sometimes it is our own conscience. Sometimes it is a well meaning friend.

In those times and place we are afforded an opportunity to confirm our baptismal vows, in great ways and in mundane ways. We can follow the Lord, who was victorious in all temptations. We bring forward the Christ and testify that he has suffered once for all. We will not subject him to any more dishonor. We will "crown him Lord of all."

Propers for Maundy Thursday

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Posted in Lent, Theology

Related Tags: Lent, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Jesus Christ, Temptation

The Last 3 Days of Lent

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Kendall Harmon of Titusonenine and Keith Whittingham from St. Barnabas Anglican Church in St. Catharines, Ont. Canada on The Sacred Triduum.

This article provides some good, basic info as we draw to the close of our Lenten pilgrimage.

Related Tags: Lent, Holy Week, Sacred Triduum, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday

Looking Over the Shoulder of Judas

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The collect for the day points us to joyful meditation. As I read the gospel portion I fixate on Judas. Today's reading from Hebrews gives us a grand picture of what was going on as Jesus sacrificed himself. The Gospel reading gives us the narrative of how the events played out. Judas was an important player.

Somehow Judas's weakness and Christ's strength cooperated to lead the Savior a few steps further in his journey to the cross. Judas sided with corrupt power. Jesus walked in holy weakness. Judas sold his master out for money. He had become offended by the way the Lord handled his business. The data tells us that he took money as an informant against Jesus. Power. It ate at him. Judas ended up taking his life. Jesus ended up giving his.

We think of Judas as the worst of the worst. He probably is. I am trying to see what flaws I share with him. Is there anything in me that would provoke me to sell out my Lord? I know I fail him in many little things every day. Will those little things turn into something overwhelming when I am truly put to the test?

I will continue to pray the collect for today so that my attention might fully turn from the weaknesses of men like Judas and myself to the mighty acts of Jesus Christ by which he has given us life and immortality.

Propers for Wednesday in Holy Week

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Related Tags: Lent, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Judas, Failure

Beautiful, Spit-Covered Faces

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Jesus suffered the accusations and physical abuse of those who refused to come under the judgment of his Gospel. He stood blamelessly before them. They could find no fault in him. They cursed him, called him names and beat him anyway.

One of the greatest privileges we have in this world of sorrow, vanity and deception is to stand with the only one who is blameless, the only one who is just. We can be called by his name and be reviled by those who revile him. We can turn our faces full into the wrath of those who despise God's Son. We can tell his story to them.

Christ is the only foundation for this fearlessness. He is the only purpose for which we can be bold. He was the only reason that St. Athanasius could claim to stand against the entire world if the entire world stood against Christ. That is not arrogance. That is humility.

The problem comes when we do not abide in Christ. Then we are arrogant. Then we bring reproach on Christ. Then people mistakenly impute our unrighteousness to our righteous Lord. We are engaged in a precarious balancing act.

We can shrink from the call to identify with Jesus Christ in his sufferings at the hands of wicked men. We can turn away and slink into the shadows. We can try to catch up with him when things have cooled down.

I don't want to take that chance.

Our brothers and sisters around the world who know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings beckon to us to take courage. The martyrs throughout history surround us with prayers. Our Lord reaches out his scarred hand to keep us from falling.

I believe that is enough to see us through.

Propers for Tuesday in Holy Week

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Related Tags: Lent, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Suffering, The Passion, Judgment

The Right and Left Hands

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There is a striking juxtaposition that takes place as we walk through Holy Week. The fall has brought about a mixture of pain and joy, life and death, nobility and villainy, judgment and redemption.

If we are to know the release of Easter, we must walk through the tension of Holy Week. If we are to experience the exaltation of resurrection, we must embrace the cruelty of the cross. Our eternal life will be found as we follow the Savior through death. Peace will come after we are enveloped in the darkness of the tomb.

The arm of the Lord that will crush all of his enemies in judgment submitted to the crushing of the powers that be. The one whose garments will be stained by the blood of his adversaries had his garments stained with his own blood. The one who sits with his Father on the throne of the cosmos stood before the thrones of wicked, corrupt and cowardly men.

He who was abandoned in his hour of need has promised to accompany us through our darkest hour. He whose spirit needed reviving in the Garden and on the cross has sent his Holy Spirit to revive us. He who was betrayed has become our friend. He who was condemned has come to be our advocate.

The tenderest act of worship and service is contrasted with the cruelest act of betrayal in the Gospel narrative. May we join the woman with the alabaster box in adoring the Lord as he faces the cross. God save us from turning away from Christ as he empties himself for us. May we not sell him out but look at him full in the face as he suffers for us. Do not avert your eyes. Take it all in.

Propers for Monday in Holy Week

Hack away.

Related Tags: Lent, Easter, Jesus Christ, The Passion, Holy Week

“What I Like About You …”

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… you really know how to pray.

The Collect for Palm Sunday:
“ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility; Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

One of the primary things that attracted me to Anglicanism was its theologically informed life of worship. As I was taking Systematic Theology in seminary, I started attending a local Anglican church. The essential connection of worship and theology was becoming my priority. I was struck by how the prayers, hymns and liturgy of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer expressed on Sunday morning what I was learning in my studies during the week. The collect for Palm Sunday is a great example.

“Almighty and everlasting God” - The collect begins by reminding us that God has all power. He existed, exists and will exist always. There has never been a time when the Father was not. If he undertakes to accomplish something, he has the chops to get it done. How do you thwart the intentions of someone who has all power? He’s bigger and older than you.

“who, of thy tender love towards mankind” - The eternal and all powerful God is not aloof or unconcerned about humanity. He loves us. His love is tender. I don’t think that this collect was the inspiration for Elvis’s ballad, nor do I think that his conception of tender love is particularly consonant with that of the Anglican Divines.

“hast sent thy son” - This powerful, eternal, loving God has a Son. It would be one thing to take the word of an isolated monad, such as Allah, that he loves humanity. The question we need to ask such a god is “How do you know how to love? There is no one like you.” Not so with the Christian God. He has had a filial relationship from all eternity. Love is not something new with him. Rather than accomplishing his purpose through some impressive display of power, or by some eternal decree, he sent his very own Son. This God is personal and involved.

“our Savior Jesus Christ” - The Son of God is the Savior of man. He is related to the Father. He is related to us.

“to take upon him our flesh” - The big, theological term that applies here is “incarnation.” God’s Son became a man. He did not simply appear as a man. He is a man. He was no apparition, spook or ghost. He was a flesh and blood human being. That all powerful, eternal God is expressing his tender love towards us, not by sending his son in a manner that will overawe us, but as one whom we will invite into our homes, ask to heal our children and ask questions about the things that matter most.

“and to suffer death upon the cross” - Here we are talking about the atonement, another word that is prominent in theology. This man, Jesus Christ, suffered and died. That’s quite a thing for God’s Son to do. God, who is all powerful and eternal, accomplished salvation, not only through his Son becoming a man, but also through the death of that man.

“that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility” - There are various explanations about the significance of Christ’s death. These are known as the theories of the atonement. Most of them are true on some level. The problem comes when one of them is chosen to the exclusion of all others. One of the theories of the atonement is known as the Moral Influence, or Exemplar, theory. The idea is that Jesus’ life and death are examples for us to follow. The collect for Palm Sunday focuses on this theory. The Moral Influence idea is definitely present in the Scriptures. The epistle for today, from Philippians chapter 3, is only one of the passages that support this idea. This theory has sometimes gotten a bad rap because it is often associated with Liberal Protestantism. As I said before, the problem with these theories comes when they are offered as exclusive explanations of the atonement, rather than cooperative aspects.

“Mercifully grant, that we may follow the example of his patience” - The Moral Influence theory of the atonement is appropriate for a Palm Sunday Collect as we begin Holy Week. Our Lenten pilgrimage is about following in the footsteps of Jesus through his life and ministry. Our salvation is worked out as we follow in his steps. We must now complete our journey by following him through his final week to the Passion. We are reaching the height of our meditations on his sufferings. Great spiritual work can be accomplished in our lives this week. We need the Lord’s help to see it through.

“and also be made partakers of his resurrection” - We may follow Christ all the way to the cross because we know that he will share with us the resurrection from the dead. The promise of resurrection is the best answer for human suffering. It tells us that pain is not eternal, life defeats death, and sin is not the final word on mankind.

“through the same Jesus Christ our Lord” - The one who leads us through suffering and death is the same one who shares with us his resurrection. He entered into the grave and came back out again. He will not leave us there alone.

The collect for Palm Sunday is to be said every day until Good Friday.

Hack away.

Propers for Palm Sunday

Tags: Lent, Palm Sunday, Prayer, Anglican, Lectionary

Unwanted Mirror Page 6

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The latest update to my most recent short story is available at Poboy Muse.

Tags: Creative Writing, Short Stories, Fiction, Christian Fiction

Connecting With Our Past

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Do you ever have trouble identifying with the characters in the Bible? I sure do. They seem so far away in time and culture. It is hard enough to connect with a contemporary person from another culture. The separation of thousands of years doesn't help.

There is a precarious balancing act that must be negotiated when we begin to put their narratives into our language. Sometimes speculating about their thoughts and motives can be quite anachronistic. I tried it during Advent. You can judge how successful I was. I fear that we end up moving ourselves further from the truth rather than closer to it. I fear making Abraham or Moses or David or Methuselah (you get a shiny penny if you know who he is) someone other than who they were in their time and space.

Nevertheless, someone who is well-versed in Ancient Near Eastern culture and is also a good storyteller can render a great service. Certainly, they were flesh and blood people, like us. They had fears and hopes. I know there are ways to connect their lives with ours. I believe that the Bible can be read and taught in a way that draws us in and makes us sympathetic to the characters whose stories we find there.

With that build-up I am afraid that you are going to be expecting me to do that for you, or at least point you to someone who can. Sorry to disappoint you, but that guy ain't me and I am not sure who to point you to off the top of my head.

The New Covenant is superior to the Old. Nevertheless, the Gospel does not repudiate the Law. The sacrifices of the Old Testament are not insulted by the sacrifice of the New. The person of Abraham, as progenitor of Israel, is not insulted by the person of Christ. As much as it galled the Jewish leaders who were in power at the time of Christ, he was not the enemy of the traditions and observances of Israel, but Israel’s greatest friend, the Messiah.

I certainly do not feel a tremendous connection with the Jewish roots of Christianity. NT Wright is helpful in this regard, as are other writers. Nevertheless, as far as my day-to-day faith is concerned, it is not lived with much consciousness of continuity with the OT sacrificial system.

When I read about how Jesus' sacrifice is so much better than the sacrifices of animals, I have trouble connecting. I have never lived under a sacrificial system. It seems that when we read Hebrews we get some of it wrong. When we hear descriptions of the New Covenant like "much more," "greater," and "more perfect," we hear "much easier," "simpler," and "more convenient." Down with all those troubling and complicated rituals. Up with the Gospel. It makes everything so easy.

I am learning that religion is only simple when you are ignorant of the issues. I know, "the Gospel is so simple, even a child can understand." I'm not so sure. I do think that the Gospel is so accessible that even a child can believe it. But, our faith provides enough matter to occupy philosophers, artists, authors and preachers with thinking, painting, writing and preaching until the end of time.

I was reading a blog yesterday that drew my attention to my own laxity in preparation for the Eucharist. I am not subject to the rigors of the OT sacrificial system. Does that mean that there is nothing rigorous about the New Covenant? Our Christian ancestors were singular in their preparations for the Eucharist. I feel so anemic.

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried." GK Chesterton

I read an interview this morning with Richard Winter, author of "Still bored in a Culture of Entertainment." He mentioned that boredom occurs as a result of both understimulation and overstimulation. An addiction to all things exciting can cripple us when it comes time to attend to the disciplines and mundane things of life. It spoils the simple pleasures. It keeps us from drawing apart and being still, where we can know that God is.

Propers for Lent 5, Passion Sunday

Hack away.

Tags: Lent, Passion Sunday, Jesus Christ, New Covenant, Eucharist, Lectionary

Don't Be No Fool

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For your enjoyment:

Take a look at a new site, Ironic Catholic. There is some funny, creative stuff there ready for your perusal.

Also, Albion Land of "The Anglican Continuum" has a good post on a class of saints in Russian Orthodoxy of which I had never heard. Take a gander at Yurodivy. More importantly, he has a good exhortation regarding our persecuted brother, Abdul Rahman.

Hack away.