tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60417374526298415452024-03-13T17:00:07.919-07:00The Ancient Path“This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…’” -Jeremiah 6:16Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-73826195408500316512012-06-25T13:56:00.001-07:002012-06-25T13:56:22.850-07:00New Blog at WordPress: Ruminations of an Orthodox CatechumenIf you have wordpress that is where I shall be blogging from here on out. Come follow me:
http://theorthodoxcatechumen.wordpress.com/Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-65942550407470869482012-03-06T14:50:00.000-08:002012-03-06T14:51:20.223-08:00NEW BLOGI have a new blog. I plan to delete this one soon. Please come follow me on the new one: <br /><br />http://thepropheticmystic.blogspot.com/Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-58281892432660085392012-02-17T07:03:00.002-08:002012-02-17T07:03:36.127-08:00The Authority of Scripture: A Theological Reflection<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPhd1KQtdVenXHo7QRNBr3XDvbxe_sYXG8igmCsVgYd1BeLBI9ZxADEPnKtWMLmmyCeYKaSMFkLu655gcruK732hYw9JKWsxPYOjLk_JQYdEC0bRPx5_I4kLZBzFAhpn0CTDTVM5VQqHF/s1600/CCore-Bible.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPhd1KQtdVenXHo7QRNBr3XDvbxe_sYXG8igmCsVgYd1BeLBI9ZxADEPnKtWMLmmyCeYKaSMFkLu655gcruK732hYw9JKWsxPYOjLk_JQYdEC0bRPx5_I4kLZBzFAhpn0CTDTVM5VQqHF/s320/CCore-Bible.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710120389517136578" /></a><br />Just a theological reflection paper I wrote for Restoration History that I wanted to share. Feel free to share your thoughts too: <br />THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE<br /> <br /> The authority of the Bible is a debate that has been long going on for many centuries. It was the center piece of the Protestant Reformation, which declared that the Scripture alone, sola Scriptura, was sufficient enough to dictate Church practice and faith. The Scripture is not the authority, but functions only as a witness to God’s authority and a vehicle of God’s authority. Bishop N.T. Wright states, “When we turn the question [of how does God exercise his authority through the Bible?] around, however, and ask it the other way about, we discover just what a rich concept of authority we are going to need if we are to do justice to this book. The writings written by these people, thus led by the Spirit, are not for the most part, as we saw, the sort of things we would think of as ‘authoritative’. They are mostly narrative; and we have already run up against the problem how can a story, a narrative, be authoritative? Somehow, the authority which God has invested in this book is an authority that is wielded and exercised through the people of God telling and retelling their story as the story of the world, telling the covenant story as the true story of creation. Somehow, this authority is also wielded through his people singing psalms. Somehow, it is wielded (it seems) in particular through God’s people telling the story of Jesus.” <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The Nature, Inspiration, and Authority of Scripture<br /> <br />As stated the authority of Scripture is non-existent for all Scripture is dependent upon God’s authority. Scripture, however, is a witness to that authority of God and a vehicle of His authority. Scripture derives its power from the power and authority of God who worked through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit upon the men and women who wrote it conveying the story of God’s redemptive work in humanity.<br /> <br />N.T. Wright paints the authority of Scripture as a Shakespeare play with five acts, but the fifth act is missing. The other four acts provide the plot and rich characterization of the play enough for those actors to write the fifth act and carry it out. If we are the actors who have been left with the writing of the fifth act then the Scripture is the other four acts, which is 1) Creation, 2) The Fall, 3) Israel, and 4) Jesus. +Wright states, “The church would then live under the ‘authority’ of the extant story, being required to offer something between an improvisation and an actual performance of the final act.” The authority of God playing through the first four scenes of Scriptures is our authority, and we must remain faithful to the story as told so far.<br /> <br />This lends to Scripture its nature, which is narrative, and its inspiration from the Holy Spirit, which is God’s Words in man’s words. We must remember that Scripture is telling the story of God and humanity. “We read scripture in order to be refreshed in our memory and understanding of the story within which we ourselves are actors, to be reminded where it had come from and where it is going to, and hence what our own part within it ought to be,” writes +Wright.<br /> <br />The Bible as the “Word of God”<br /> <br /> In what sense is the Bible the “Word of God”? Again, we must look back at the story being told. God’s authority is expressed in the story that is told by creation, the fall, Israel, and Jesus. <br /> <br /> God exercises His authority via the Scriptures. +Wright states, “How does God exercise that authority? Again and again, in the biblical story itself we see that he does so through human agents anointed and equipped by the Holy Spirit. And this is itself an expression of his love, because he does not will, simply to come into the world in a blinding flash of light and obliterate all opposition. He wants to reveal himself meaningfully within the space/time universe not just passing it by tangentially; to reveal himself in judgment and in mercy in a way which will save people.”<br /> <br /> God’s Word is God’s Story. It is not about whether or not something is literal or metaphorical, but about gaining a glimpse of the bigger picture. The story of re-creation through incarnation is found in the Scriptures. This story is written by the Most High God. The Scripture is one means of revelation for God. <br /> <br />Bible as the Authority for Faith and Practice<br /> <br /> In Prop I of The Declaration and Address, Thomas Campbell writes, “That the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else; as none else can be truly and properly called Christians.” Mr. Campbell states clearly that the Scripture is the authority of the faith and should inform our practice of the faith. The practice of the faith boils down for Mr. Campbell those things that have are expressed terms and approved precedents.<br /> <br /> Article VI of the Articles of Religion state, “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.” Mr. Campbell and Article VI are in agreement about Scripture being the primary source of our faith and our practice. The Scripture witness to God’s authority and also to the apostolic witness.<br /> <br /> In Romans 15:4 Saint Paul writes, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Saint Paul is making it clear that the Old Testament Scriptures were written to teach us. At this time the New Testament canon was not present, but the apostolic witness and Holy Tradition were clearly present both from historical and scriptural views. <br />Dr. William DiPuccio writes, “Let us not forget the Oxford Movement which appealed to the Vincentian canon (from Vincent of Lerins, c. 434) as a criterion for interpreting Scripture in matters of essential faith and practice: Faced with numerous conflicting interpretations, we hold fast to that which has been ‘believed everywhere, always, by all’ (often summed up in the formula, ‘universality, antiquity, consent’).” <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Hermeneutic Principles and Restoration Applicable Principles<br /> <br /> "History was where Paul looked to see the roots of the story whose climax he believed was Jesus Christ. History is where we have to go if, as we say, we want to listen to Scripture itself rather than either the venerable traditions of later church leaders or the less venerable footnotes of more recent scholars,” writes +Wright, “For too long we have read Scripture with nineteenth-century eyes and sixteenth-century questions. It's time to get back to reading with first-century eyes and twenty-first-century questions." The first key to hermeneutics is to understand the historical context. Too often we neglect to place ourselves in the shoes of the audience of the first century and ask how that applies to us today. <br /> <br /> Alexander Campbell writes, “The words and sentences of the Bible are to be translated, interpreted, and understand according to the same code of laws and principles of interpretation by which other ancient writings are translated and understood.” Campbell’s hermeneutical principles are as follows: 1) Historical circumstances (order, title, author, date, place, and occasion), 2) Who wrote it and to whom did he write, 3) Language interpretation used for other books are applied to the Bible, and 4) Common words with one known meaning the interpretation is clear; words with more than one can have no clear interpretation. <br /> <br /> Being Anglo-Orthodox I adhere to Scripture, Holy Tradition and Reason when it comes to hermeneutics. Dr. William DiPuccio writes, “Orthodoxy sees Tradition as an organic whole (one source theory) which includes Scripture. Tradition, then, functions as the hermeneutical lens through which we understand the Bible. It is a safeguard against the kind of free-for-all interpretation that permeates many mainline churches today. When approaching Scripture, it is better to trust the collective wisdom of the ages than the myopic vision of contemporary individuals or groups.” I believe this lays a solid foundation for hermeneutics. The problem with Protestantism is that it put a Bible in everyone’s hands and told them to read it and come to their own conclusion hence the 32,000+ Protestant denominations that we see today. <br />In “Evangelicals and Tradition: The Formative Influence of the Early Church”, D.H. Williams writes, “Tradition also functioned as the chief hermeneutical principle for interpreting Scripture. Because tradition was not perceived as possessing a content separate from scriptural teaching, the former could act as an interpretive guide for the proper use of the Bible.” It is a dangerous mistake to downplay Holy Tradition in favor or private, personal interpretation. Williams goes on to write, “The Bible is capable of being understood only in the midst of disciplined community of believers whose practices embody the biblical story.”<br /> <br /> If we are to truly understand the Scriptures we must come to reject Sola Scriptura. I see no evidence in Scripture to support the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. With this doctrine, Protestantism has run amuck. Whenever a interpretation issue arises if one group does not agree with another it will split because they have the “right” interpretation. Sola Scriptura makes the faith individual and personal, which is two things it is not. Williams writes, “The fathers would not have appreciated the principle of Scripture alone, since the historical and theological issues that gave rise to it were particular to late medieval Christianity. To treat the Bible in isolation from the tradition of the church, as it was located in the ancient rule of faith, baptismal confessions, and councilor creeds, would have been incomprehensible to the Christian pastors and thinkers of the patristic era. From their perspective, a radically Biblicist view might easily be driven by a desire to avoid the truth of the church’s teaching.”<br /> <br /> This does not make Scripture subservient to Holy Tradition. The Fathers would have held that a true interpretation would lead one to the Tradition, which was the flagship of the Faith. <br /> <br />Current Issues for Christians with a High View of Scripture<br /> <br /> “In their quest to reach culture, evangelical congregations have come to reflect the cultural preferences of their audience: anti-institutional, informal, nondogmatic, therapeutic, and unaware of the difference between tolerance and moral confusion,” writes D.H. Williams. I think Mr. Williams is on to something with his statement. I have not met anyone who supports homosexuality, abortion, or heretical teachings like that of John Spong who have a high view of the Scriptures. <br /> <br /> The problem we face is the post-modern revisionism, which is full of moral relativism and pluralism. To fit into the society many churches have brought their view of the Scriptures low in order to make allowance for things such as homosexual partnerships that are blessed by God. <br /> <br /> We have to remember what N.T. Wright wrote about writing the fifth act of the play and how we must remain faithful to the first four acts. This is the place of Scripture, which is a witness to God’s authority and a vehicle of God’s authority.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-4422116228548260312012-02-14T15:59:00.001-08:002012-02-14T16:00:28.535-08:00LIVING IN THE HINGEWAY: A REFLECTION ON CHURCH AND CULTURE<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws07fbKSWd3lklQGRmyN0-zBt83mWTmz_m6XLxX-dfYu2Vi9a8MnG5SZpL9_WHZ0uoeF5jGb33UFu4kZc_YFgHR0Leca4aCvoTJk7gvnDomEXzfD468I-vLBqM-h6NUX_9BdPEO4DcSO1/s1600/logo.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws07fbKSWd3lklQGRmyN0-zBt83mWTmz_m6XLxX-dfYu2Vi9a8MnG5SZpL9_WHZ0uoeF5jGb33UFu4kZc_YFgHR0Leca4aCvoTJk7gvnDomEXzfD468I-vLBqM-h6NUX_9BdPEO4DcSO1/s320/logo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709145505243955122" /></a><br />This is just a simple paper assigned after a introductory study of postmodernity and the current cultural shifts and a reading of The Younger Evangelicals by Robert Webber. This paper is not designed to be very formal containing a thesis and points. It is merely a personal reflection upon 5 cultural shifts that are opportunities for the Church, 5 cultural cultural that are a danger to the Church, and 5 ways I want to create ministry in this cultural context or how to carry out ministry. Hope you enjoy. <br /> <br />LIVING IN THE HINGEWAY: A REFLECTION ON CHURCH AND CULTURE<br /> <br />Dr. Carlus Gupton writes, “Our time is best described as transitional, a very fluid moment where previous ways of understanding the world and functioning within it are increasingly abandoned, yet without clear definition of what will replace it. Something has ended, but the new beginning has not yet taken shape, thus we are in the uncomfortable wilderness, the neutral zone.” The Church is living in a day and age where absolutes are being denied and truth is relative. This day and age of Postmodernism can present to the Church opportunities to ministry and dangers to the Church’s ministry to preach the Gospel and be a hospital for the sick sinners. <br /> <br />Five Opportunities the Cultural Shifts Present<br /> <br /> Robert Webber writes, “The younger evangelicals are conscious that they grew up in a postmodern world. One younger evangelical writes of ways postmodern thinking differs from modern thought. Postmoderns ‘no longer feel a need to bow the knee to the modern God of rationality.’ Postmoderns, he argues, ‘have a much broader conception of what counts as reason’ because they acknowledge that ‘all rationality (religious, scientific, or whatever) is laden with faith.’ Postmodern young people recognize that ‘thinking is highly indebted to others.’ Therefore, the younger evangelical rejects the modern notion of individualism and embraces community. And to be postmodern in a Christian way is ‘to embrace the kingdom of God and renounce the values of the world.’” This is the first opportunity presented to us to witness to people. This opens the door that Protestantism with its emphasis on the rational had closed and that is the door to sacramentalism or a sacramental world-view. For too long reason has dominated the Church. <br /> <br /> <br />The Enlightenment with the emphasis on reason and scientific method stole all the mystery from the Christian faith ranging from throwing out the sacraments and calling them “ordnances” to the rejection of Christian mysticism. This shift away from reason allows for the Church to restore a sacramental world-view for it allows for a restoration of mystery, the Mysterium tremendum et fascinans (fearful and fascinating mystery). This shift opens the door for the Numinous to be once again believed, for there to be a transcendence beyond our reason. This is not to say reason is invalid. The Church would be wise to follow the words of Blasé Pascal, “If one subjects everything to reason our religion will lose its mystery and its supernatural character. If one offends the principles of reason our religion will be absurd and ridiculous ...There are two equally dangerous extremes, to shut reason out and let nothing else in.”<br /> <br /> <br /> “The postmodern September 11, 2001, world has led to the recovery of the biblical understanding of human nature. The language of sin, evil, evildoers, and a reaffirmation of the deceit and wickedness of the human heart has once again emerged in our common vocabulary,” writes Robert Webber, “The liberal notion of the inherent goodness of humankind and the more recent evangelical neglect of the language of sin and depravity have failed to plumb the depths of the wickedness that lurks in the human heart. The younger evangelical approaches humanity with a more realistic and biblical assessment of our estrangement from God.” This presents the Churches second opportunity to present the Christian meta-narrative of the Creation, the Fall, Israel, and Jesus Christ. This allows for the Church to tell Her story of redemption and how She has been made a part of the re-creation attempts of God. Pragmatic Evangelicals, seeking to draw in seekers (no pun intended), neglected to preach about the wickedness of men and the depths of humanity’s depravity. David Crowder, of The David Crowder*Band, put it this way: “When our depravity meets His divinity it is a beautiful collision.” This cultural shift allows for a sacramental understanding of the Cross and Resurrection to take place. The shift allows for the preaching of humanity’s depravity coming into collision with God’s divinity, which overcomes the wickedness and clothes the redeemed in the Divine Nature (II Peter 1:4-5). The Church can present the story of the Fall, but that there is more to life. That there is a door for humanity to be ontologically changed, transformed back into an original state of glory. David Horseman writes, “"Theosis is neither a mere psychological change nor a simple behavioral change. It is both, but not in a superficial sense. These changes of thought and behavior are but the indices of a deeper, ontological change, in our nature, a sharing of the divine nature, in which we become more and more like God, changed from glory into glory, until the day of our final redemption..." This could be the story we tell with this change in culture. <br /> <br /> <br /> The third opportunity presented by this cultural shift is in the context of evangelism. The Next-Wave web magazine states of younger evangelicals’ desire “is to see people enter a relationship with Jesus Christ. Receive His forgiveness, enter His community with the saints, worship in ways that are meaningful to them, and reach out to others in their world.” Robert Webber believes that the new landscape of the culture will provide a new type of evangelism that is ancient-future evangelism. The old is that the Church must emphasis a personal regenerative relationship with the Triune God via Christ, but the new is the context in which the Church worships and facilitates community that is missional. This aura creates an opportunity for the Church to fashion a community focused on relationships of reconciliation: relationships with humanity and with God. The Gospel is presented through relationship primarily. A good model of evangelism in the postmodern world would be: dialogue, demonstration, declaration, and defense all lived out incarnationally. <br /> <br /> <br /> The Church’s fourth opportunity within this cultural shift is to begin to see Christianity as more than a world view. Robert Webber writes, “Today the younger evangelical questions the priority given to Christianity as a worldview. Younger evangelical Charles Moore writes, ‘The idea of Christianity as a worldview is essentially Gnostic. It makes Christianity a idea, a philosophical viewpoint, a construct. Christianity is primarily a kingdom, an embodied reality and is more about a faithful discipleship than affirming an intellectual construct.’ Moore argues that making Christianity a worldview ‘abstracts reason from history and pits the existing, choosing subject against the object. It reduces Christianity to metaphysics.’” This part of the cultural shift is very important to the life of Christianity because seeing the faith as something to be believed, rationed, and defended can leave it shallow and empty for there is no living it out. Christianity is primarily relational and has to be incarnational in this world. The Church can benefit with this ideological shift because it allows the Church to embody Christ and be formed to His image and live as He lives.<br /> <br /> <br /> “The Christianity Today articles reported that ‘postmodern Christians are trying to redefine the relation of faith and knowledge, that instead of coming to the faith rationally, true knowledge requires the Holy Spirit to work an ontological change in the human heart,’” writes Robert Webber. He goes on to clarify that this is not a new approach, but that younger Christians are deconstructing in order “to reconstruct an historic life of the mind”. The road to the future lies in the past. The Church has an opportunity today to revisit the past with the Creeds, the Church Fathers, St. Aquinas, and St. Augustine and let that ancient wisdom shape and mold the way the Church carries out faith and practice. <br /> <br />Five Dangers the Cultural Shifts Present<br /> <br /> The number one thing for the Church to distinguish in the cultural shift of postmodernity is that there are two schools of postmodernity: soft postmodernity and hard postmodernity. Milliard Erickson, in Postmodernizing the Faith, writes, “Hard postmodernism, best represented by deconstruction, rejects the idea of any sort of objectivity and rationality. It maintains that all theories are simply worked out to justify and empower those who hold them, rather than being based on facts. It not only rejects the limitation of meaning of language to empirical reference; it rejects the idea that language has any sort of objective or extralinguistic reference at all. It moves from relativism to pluralism to truth. Not only is all knowing and all speaking done from a particular perspective, but each perspective is equally true or valuable. The meaning of a statement is not to be found objectively in the meaning intended by the speaker or writer, but is the meaning that the hearer or reader finds in it. ‘Whatever it means to me’ even if it is quite different from what it says to you.” The Church has to remember that wonderful idea by Blasé Pascal that there are two dangerous extremes shutting reason out or letting nothing else but reason in. The pluralism of today’s society is dangerous to the truth of the Gospel. The Church must defend the truth of the Gospel and learn to evangelize to a pluralistic society instead of assimilating into society. <br /> <br /> <br /> Religious tolerance is the second danger. Dr. Gupton writes, “No religion should be thought of as superior to another. Indeed, this belief in superiority is the major roadblock to religious unity.” This hard postmodernism belief is very dangerous to the truth of the Gospel. The Church believes that She has an exclusive claim on the Truth, which She must stand by and defend. <br /> <br /> <br /> The third danger of hard postmodernism found in this cultural shift is in the area of evangelism. Dr. Gupton writes, “Proselytizing is bigotry, pure and simple. The idea of winning converts is based on the antiquated notion that one religion has more to offer than another. Our task is to help others discover the hidden inner meaning of their religions, rather than convert them to our own.” This is something the Church must absolutely reject to defend the Gospel. Only through Christ is forgiveness of sin offered and deification began. Other religions contain some universal truths, but do not contain the Truth found in the Gospel presented by the Church.<br /> <br /> <br /> The fourth danger the Church must be careful to be aware of moral relativism or moral pragmatism. Easum writes, “In the new emerging society right and wrong will not exist. Whatever benefits the individual will form the basis for ethics.” The Church has to come to the defense of morals and ethics. The problem with hard postmodernism is that it deconstructs to the point of chaos, which cannot be upheld. This is no accountability of ethics, but the Church can account for its ethics, which stem from God and absolute truths. Society and individuals are a dangerous grounds upon which to build what is moral, right, or just. <br /> <br /> <br /> The fifth danger to the Church is privatization. The Church must be careful to fight against this idea that faith, too, can be privatized and individualized. The Church must maintain a strong emphasis on communal living both at home and in ecclesiastical settings. Easum writes, “People are preoccupied with themselves. Whatever is done behind closed doors is considered acceptable conduct. Privacy is the ultimate price…The majority of people will tend to withdraw physically and psychologically.” This is the danger to a incarnational people called to be God’s hands and feet in the world. <br /> <br />Five Ways to Interface with the Culture<br /> <br /> I am feeling lead more and more lately to plant a church from the ground up. There is a great outline of postmodern churches compared to pragmatic Evangelistic churches and how they function within the postmoder culture, by Eric Stanford, found on pages 116 and 117 of The Younger Evangelicals that I think fits perfectly how I would like to approach church in this postmodern society: <br /> <br />1. Even though I am the priest and carry out all the sacramental duties I want to approach leadership as a team effort with all the members of the parish helping to carry out the duties of the church. Ministries may not always come from the leadership team, but from within the congregation who feels lead to start up a ministry. Christ is the head of the Church and I am a part of that thus He moves mysteriously and powerfully in all our lives in the parish.<br /> <br /> 2. Life is about relationships. My life motto is “I am a person of worth created in the Image of God the Father, the Almighty, to live, to love, and to commune with fellow humankind and with the Blessed Trinity.” This is how I want to carry out ministry in the church. Programs, as Eric says, “are means not ends.” Everything thing we do ought to be to foster community and relationship and not just to learn and do. Developing close, healthy relationships is the focus within the postmodern context I want to employ.<br /> <br />3. Eric writes, “Be authentic. Don’t pretend you’ve got it all together, spiritually or otherwise. Admit your mistakes and struggles, for then we can work on them together. No posers allowed.” I believe this is core to who I am. I strive to be real and authentic. I am drawn to real and authentic people, so I want to be a part of a community that emphasizes that over excellence or perfection, but wants to strive towards those together.<br /> <br />4. The emphasis is not on contemporary, but on ancient-future. I want to help create a community that is up-to-date, but realizes the power of ancient Christianity and Her traditions especially in terms of liturgy and spirituality.<br /> <br />5. I want to help create a community that honors “intellect and emotions, doctrine and intuition,” as Eric states. I want to take an holistic approach to faith and life. I want to focus on the power of the story that Christianity tells: Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus. I see it often as a five act Shakespeare play that has last the fifth act thus we are left to write the fifth act on our own according to the authority of the other four acts. Our stories should come inside of this grand story.<br /> <br />6. I want to create dialogue and relationship between Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans, and Orthodox. There is no us vs. them in regards to other denominations or in regards to non-Christians. Christians and non-Christians often face the same issues and have the same questions. I want to open our doors to all and have to come experience community and maybe even belong, believe, and behave instead of behave, believe, belong. It is about cooperation and not competition or condemnation.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-57726459211501144852012-01-01T08:41:00.000-08:002012-01-01T08:44:04.794-08:00Saint of the Day: Mother Mary, Holy Theotokos<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZUnA_aJqftM9wLYJpva3zQc_SOcVStj9n12TsdVbmPqsDjg9FB16eNMfrRsN1ql8-X4B32Xdc02_CcaF8ga1b06VXiml-hxoOLSPN1Oc_-KDjHb00ouwn7sIGhVEsfwFK3heAdH6j2y_/s1600/OL_New_advent.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZUnA_aJqftM9wLYJpva3zQc_SOcVStj9n12TsdVbmPqsDjg9FB16eNMfrRsN1ql8-X4B32Xdc02_CcaF8ga1b06VXiml-hxoOLSPN1Oc_-KDjHb00ouwn7sIGhVEsfwFK3heAdH6j2y_/s320/OL_New_advent.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692705084748325666" /></a><br />I get a email from American Catholics and todays email was bout the Saint of the Day our Blessed Mother Mary the Holy Theotokos: <br /> <br /> <br />"Mary’s divine motherhood broadens the Christmas spotlight. Mary has an important role to play in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. She consents to God’s invitation conveyed by the angel (Luke 1:26-38). Elizabeth proclaims: 'Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?' (Luke 1:42-43, emphasis added). Mary’s role as mother of God places her in a unique position in God’s redemptive plan.<br /> <br />Without naming Mary, Paul asserts that 'God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law' (Galatians 4:4). Paul’s further statement that 'God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out "Abba, Father!"' helps us realize that Mary is mother to all the brothers and sisters of Jesus.<br /> <br />Some theologians also insist that Mary’s motherhood of Jesus is an important element in God’s creative plan. God’s 'first' thought in creating was Jesus. Jesus, the incarnate Word, is the one who could give God perfect love and worship on behalf of all creation. As Jesus was 'first' in God’s mind, Mary was 'second' insofar as she was chosen from all eternity to be his mother.<br /> <br />The precise title 'Mother of God' goes back at least to the third or fourth century. In the Greek form Theotokos (God-bearer), it became the touchstone of the Church’s teaching about the Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus in 431 insisted that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of this particular session, crowds of people marched through the street shouting: 'Praised be theTheotokos!' The tradition reaches to our own day. In its chapter on Mary’s role in the Church, Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls Mary “Mother of God” 12 times."<br /> <br /> <br />COMMENT:<br />"Other themes come together at today’s celebration. It is the Octave of Christmas: Our remembrance of Mary’s divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. It is a day of prayer for world peace: Mary is the mother of the Prince of Peace. It is the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children—who are also God’s children."<br /> <br /> <br />QUOTE:<br />“The Blessed Virgin was eternally predestined, in conjunction with the incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. By decree of divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving mother of the divine Redeemer, an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord’s humble handmaid. She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 61).<br /> <br /> <br />Our Blessed Mother's faith was strong and demonstrated in the words, "Be it done unto me according to Thy word." She never hestitated to do the will of God. In the face of all the public shame she kept her faith and became selfless in her love! May we learn from her example and seek to become faithful as she was faithful to her precious Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She is considered the first Christian, in my understanding, due to her faith in her Son. May we learn from our Blessed Mother, the Holy Theotokos, to keep the faith and remain selfless in our love of Jesus. <br /> <br />O Mary, Blessed Mother of God, pray for us and strengthen us. <br /> <br />It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, who are ever blessed and all-blameless, and the mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, you who without stain barest God the Word, and are truly Theotokos: we magnify you.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-10616962320284702292011-12-07T20:15:00.000-08:002011-12-07T20:18:56.772-08:00Revelation and the End of All Things (A Summary)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYGDTxIhMO-P8r4C-EaupcbSkCLbuBOHdIYRPkgFLY0C4bw-Ha1I_HTQXbQtq3mjklNJTWypmWOhGdqAQM019fnr_AfxdGbEjk97TTcEpHVdcH76Vu0cQ6r_10x41MQ_qhIzVGUIattNj/s1600/572953-L.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYGDTxIhMO-P8r4C-EaupcbSkCLbuBOHdIYRPkgFLY0C4bw-Ha1I_HTQXbQtq3mjklNJTWypmWOhGdqAQM019fnr_AfxdGbEjk97TTcEpHVdcH76Vu0cQ6r_10x41MQ_qhIzVGUIattNj/s320/572953-L.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683607118682494082" /></a><br />I've become very passionate about preaching the Book of Revelation once I'm ordained as a priest one day. This is often a book used by many as a scare tactic! It is a shame to see the Word of the Lord used to scare people out of hell or used as a beating tool across people's heads to scare the crap out of them! This stigma I think is the cause of why so many ignore preaching this book. In my young life I can recall just one sermon I have heard on Revelations. <br /> <br /> <br />What I love about Koester is that 1) He begins with all the ways of interpretating this book and their positive/negative traits and 2) He spends the rest of the book presenting a Late-Date Preterist/Futurist Amillienial with High Eschatology view of the Book of Revelation, which is the view I hold to as well. This view simply means that we believe the book was written by St. John in the 90s A.D. Preterist means "past", so we believe most of the book's events have already been fulfilled or passed, ultimately in the destruction of Rome. Futurist means we hold that the ending chapters of the book, Jesus' return, have yet to be fulfilled. Amillienial means we do not interpret the 1,000 year reign of Christ as literal, but symbolic just like much of the numbers and that we are in this age right now and have been since Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. And we have a high eschatological view of Revelations meaning that we do find it to be prophetic and apocylyptic. <br /> <br /> <br />So in hopes that some of you would become interested in this book and begin to study it on your own I wanted to share with you my paper on it. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts :) <br /> <br /> <br />“Revelation and the End of All Things”<br />By Craig R. Koester<br /> <br />Part I<br /> “Embarking on a study of Revelation is one of the most engaging ventures in Biblical studies,” says Mr. Koester in the preface of Revelation and the End of All Things. He goes on to write, “Interest in Revelation is perennially high even among those who do not otherwise give much attention to questions of Biblical interpretation. Curiosity is fed by the popular use of Revelation in print, film and other media.” Mr. Koester goes on to write that his book has come out of many years of studying, teaching, and preaching the book of Revelation.<br /> <br /> <br /> The interest in this book of the Bible stems from all the hype and sensation that surround books like the Left Behind series. “Many of these questions that people ask…are sparked by sensationalistic interpretations of Revelation, but these questions also point to major issues concerning our understanding of God and the future, death and life, judgment, hope.”<br /> <br /> <br /> From this point Mr. Koester says he does not want to ignore the popular interpretations of Revelation, but wants to discuss each of them and how they work and why they are also problematic. The rest of the book divides Revelation into sections and study each carefully. Mr. Koester writes, “The goal is to present the message of Revelation in a manner that is accessible, engaging, and meaningful to modern readers, while taking account of the best in recent scholarship.<br /> <br /> <br /> The first chapter of the book is called “Interpreting the Mystery”. Basically Mr. Koester goes throughout history and outlines some of the major interpretations and approaches of interpretation for the book of Revelation. He begins with the Church Fathers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and moves on up to Jerome and Augustine and Luther. Mr. Koester then goes into many of the different approaches to interpreting the book such as Premilliennialism, Dispensationalism, and Postmillennialism. <br /> <br /> <br /> Mr. Koester at the end of this chapter then goes on to explain how he will approach interpreting Revelation. He writes, “Reading Revelation as a whole shows that the book moves in a nonlinear way. This insight goes back to the third century, when Victorinus wrote the earliest existing commentary on Revelation, and many recent interpreters have found this approach helpful. An outline of the book looks like a spiral, with each loop consisting of a series of visions: seven messages to the churches (Rev. 1-3), seven seals (Rev. 4-7), seven trumpets (Rev. 8-11), unnumbered visions (Rev. 12-15), seven plagues (Rev. 15-19), and more unnumbered visions (Rev. 19-22). Visions celebrating the triumph of God occur at the end of each cycle (4:1-11; 7:1-17; 11:15-19; 15:1-4; 19:1-10; 21:1-22:5)” (page 39).<br /> <br /> <br /> The first cycle is the messages to the seven churches. Although in this cycle there does not seem to be a lot of action or drama it is a very important cycle. The key to reading Revelation and gaining a deep grasp on its symbols and meanings is reading it in context and what it meant for 1st Century listeners. Understanding how this cycle works is key to understanding all the visions that come later in the book. Mr. Koester points out for us that John’s visions do not float freely up to heaven, but have a deep meaning for those on earth engaged in a struggle of faith.<br /> <br /> <br /> It is important to note that Revelation “is not so much designed to dispense information as it is designed to strengthen the readers’ commitments” (page 44). The book was written to stir readers out of their compliancy or comfort those who are in times of persecution. Also, it is highly important to recognize that this book was written to seven specific churches, but in using the number seven to represent wholeness and completeness John intended this to be for the whole church. There is something for us all to take away from the book of Revelation.<br /> <br /> <br /> The vantage point of the second cycle, which takes place in chapters 4 through 7 is from the throne of God. John wants the readers to look out upon their world and its affairs from that stand point. This cycle speaks of the Sovereign God. This cycle opens with praise and adoration of God and closes with the same. <br /> <br /> <br /> This cycle continues with the scroll that is sealed and that no one is worthy to open. John is quite disappointed, but then the Lamb is the one worthy to open the scroll. For the Lamb has conquered, the Lamb is Christ. Christ opens each of the seals. The events that follow are not about predictions per se, but about larger visions. The four horsemen would represent conquest, violence, economic hardship, and death. These are all authentic threats for the first century readers and for those after, even us. Mr. Koester writes, “The principal purpose of the visions in Revelation 6 is to awaken a sense of uneasiness in readers by vividly identifying threats to their well-being. The four horsemen are designed to shatter the illusion that people can find true security in the borders of a nation or empire, in a flourishing economy, or in their own health” (pages 81-82).<br /> <br /> <br /> In this new cycle, we begin with seven trumpets being blown. They interpret the silence that we saw in the seventh seal from the last cycle of visions. John directs us to these seven angels blowing their trumpets bringing in even more chaotic visions then the ones before. “With each successive scene, disaster strikes earth, sea, and sky, until demonic hordes of locusts and cavalry torment humanity amid clouds of fire, smoke, and sulfur,” writes Mr. Koester (page 93). <br /> <br /> <br /> Mr. Koester writes, “The visions in Revelation 8-9 do not convey information that allows readers to discern how soon the end of time will come, but they do issue warnings that are designed to bring repentance” (page 93). The visions are meant to bring about penitence.<br /> <br /> <br /> The Beast and the Lamb of Revelation 12-15 are the next cycle for us. This cycle begins to paint the graphic picture of the battle between good and evil, which ends with God and goodness trampling over evil and Satan. This cycle contains a messianic war that extends from the time of Christ’s incarnation up until His Parousia. We all live in the middle of this time frame and while here we have many things competing for our loyalty. I would say that the point of this cycle of visions is that if we are faithful and loyal to our Lord that we will overcome the evil we witness and endure. And in the end we will stand in heaven and sing praises to Him forever and ever.<br /> <br /> <br /> The next cycle begins with the seven bowls of judgment being poured out upon the earth. This cycle is about the Harlot and the Bride. In this cycle the Harlot is destroyed and all who worshiped her mourn. But God’s people rejoice and praise His name in the end of this cycle.<br /> <br /> <br /> In the final cycle we witness the binding of Satan and the defeat of the Beast and False Prophet. During the reign of Christ, Satan has been bound, but at the end of this reign Satan is released to once again deceive many and mount an army against God and His people. In this battle evil is conquered and after the New Jerusalem descends and God reigns from earth. <br /> <br /> <br />Part II<br /> I have gained a lot of insight from both reading this book and attending this class. I came here as someone who grew up in a very fundamentalist area where Dispensationalism is heavily taught and Left Behind is God’s modern word for Revelation. I came here believing that those books pretty much portray how it really will all go down in the end. I have come to find that those are far from the truth and represent a view soaked with sensationalism and emotionalism.<br /> <br /> <br /> I have come to see from reading this book and taking the class that I do consider myself a Late-Date, High Eschatology, Preterist-Futurist Amillienialist. I have learned a lot about how to view this book and interpret it through the eyes of 1st century Christians, but with 21st century questions as N.T. Wright would say. <br /> <br /> <br /> Mr. Koester has helped me to place Revelation in the 1st century and to read it as a whole and not as a linear type book. He has also helped me to understand some part I did not fully know how to understand before reading. I have always struggled with the notion of the Beast, the False Prophet and such. Coming from a background that I came from I had a tendency to wonder who those represented. Having learned to read this book in the way 1st century readers would have helps me see how this is Rome and the Imperial Cult.<br /> <br /> <br /> Another great contribution to my understanding is how much of Revelation can actually apply to us today! There are several applications we can take as part of the American Church. One thing is the extremely close ties we as a Church have with our government. I think we rely on our government to do our job for us and to carry out our duties. I think that Revelation should awaken us from the thinking that the Empire can keep us safe and secure. I also think we can be awakened from our complacent attitudes because of the great wealth we have here. Overall, I think Revelation should be taught and preached through lens such as this book more often!Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-79138563720809378982011-10-04T18:48:00.000-07:002011-12-14T12:24:40.796-08:00Come Alive or (The Cross is the Way of Life)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ5LjEYI_B3dI92txUqaEbPFLKSYbUAvcl45YXyFq1_KGJdi_WPI84eEcAHJh9t7LoYZHFabUxozClnVlXiCorfQWGgLl6oX3Rlgrohf4Fe8aGdLvJGzxfTSisRESwvBY3qwPi893t5kB/s1600/Gal.2.20.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ5LjEYI_B3dI92txUqaEbPFLKSYbUAvcl45YXyFq1_KGJdi_WPI84eEcAHJh9t7LoYZHFabUxozClnVlXiCorfQWGgLl6oX3Rlgrohf4Fe8aGdLvJGzxfTSisRESwvBY3qwPi893t5kB/s320/Gal.2.20.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659819605273382306" /></a><br />Jon Foreman once said, "There's only two ways out of this world and neither of them are safe..." <br /> <br />What does Jon mean? I've pondered this a lot in the last couple months. I think it means this: we can wait around going about life with no meaning and purpose until we die our physical deaths...<br /> <br /> <br />OR <br /> <br />We could die now. We could die to ourselves...to our flesh. <br /> <br />Neither of those are safe are they? But which one would you rather have? I'll take the dying to myself. Here's why: <br /> <br />It is in dying that life is born. <br /> <br />It is in crucifixation that resurrection springs forth. <br /> <br />It is in the empty tomb that purpose is found. <br /> <br />Christ said He came to give life and give it ABUNDANTLY!<br /> <br />Why do so many of us never come alive? <br /> <br />I think what Doc Reece said about our wanting cheap grace hits the nail on the head! We want to simply be justifed. We're okay with justification, but where is the longing for sanctication? <br /> <br /> We cannot have the life Christ gives if we are in charge of our own little worlds can we? And realizing we aren't in charge is first. There's nothing we can do on our own or by our own merit that promotes Deification. I don't want to make this sound like we are the ones doing this. Only the Holy Spirit can transform our lives and perhaps with our not even realizing He is at work. Our job is to be willing and participate with Him through the disciplines in the work He wants to do.<br /> <br />My friend David said, "In fact even if not in awareness Santificication begins with Chrismation and indeed the response of surrender is initiated by the Holy Spirit endwelling us -- We can 'work out our own salvation' ONLY BECAUSE, as Paul says 'God worketh in us both to will and to do.' I have a concern about reliance on felling or awareness. God works at depths where we are hardly aware." <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />But can we fully come to life when the programmer at the center of our beings is our Self? <br /> <br />No, we cannot. <br /> <br />The thing about dying to yourself is that when you get up on that Cross and you die to the Self, Christ comes in and lives! St. Paul says in Galatian 2:19-20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." St. Paul is saying he got rid of the old programmer, his Self. He let Christ come in and live through Him. <br /> <br />Christ is eternally begotten of the Father: God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. <br /> <br />Hence when we die to our Selves we have a new past, present, and future because we take on His eternal transcendence! We take on His life for our old life is gone, it's dead...CRUCIFIED. <br /> <br />Dying is a daily and life long process. <br /> <br />Jesus Christ said, "‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." <br /> <br />Christ has called us to pick up our crosses, deny ourselves, and follow Him. What did Christ do with His Cross again? Oh yes, He got up on it and died! <br /> <br />Who are we to expect that we shouldn't follow Him in death. Did not St. Paul say in Romans 6, "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."<br /> <br />He says in Romans 8, "But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ* from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through* his Spirit that dwells in you."<br /> <br />Herein lies a GRAND and GLORIOUS TRUTH: That the Almighty and Living God dwells within us. The Divine resides in our hearts, His mercy seat. <br /> <br />WOW! I don't know about you folks, but that is a mind-blowing truth! <br /> <br />That the Creator of all and the Sustainer of all life resides in us! <br /> <br />And if we die to our Selves then that same Spirit will bring us life, an abundant life full of joy and goodness. <br /> <br />Haven't you had enough of trying to live on your own? Do you feel how dead we are when we are the captains of our own souls? <br /> <br />I do. <br /> <br />St. Paul said in II Corinthians 4:11, "For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh."<br /> <br />We are Imago Deo! So why aren't we dying to our Selves and letting the Spirit of Christ live in us? <br /> <br />Why do we settle for the mediocre? <br /> <br />Why do we settle for the garbage of living our lives on our own? <br /> <br />Why do we settle for the trivial? <br /> <br />When we're the programmer life is not going to be what it is supposed to be. <br /> <br />Do you feel alive? Do you survive or do you want to THRIVE? <br /> <br />I want to come alive. <br /> <br />O sleeper, arise from your grave. <br /> <br />There is a longing within us ALL to live and live fully. Christ has made this possible for us. If only we get up on our crosses and die the death He died so that we can live the life He lives. <br /> <br />There is hope for real life full of purpose and meaning and joy. <br /> <br />Raise your Ebenezer, your stone of hope this day. <br /> <br />Don't merely stop at the foot of the Cross, get up on it you weary traveler! <br /> <br />Put the nails in your hands and feet. <br /> <br />Put your Flesh to death. <br /> <br />Suffer death to Self. <br /> <br />Come alive. <br /> <br />"For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain..." says St. Paul. <br /> <br />I'm ready to die. I'm ready to put the Self to death. I'm ready to partake of the Divine Nature St. Peter speaks about in his epislte. And this summer I died to myself. In that moment I felt a large weight lifted off my shoulders. I felt a peace. A freedom. A new life. I yearn to do this daily. It's a life long process. Do you want this as well? <br /> <br />I'm praying we all find fulfillment and validation on the Cross, the Way of Life. Paradoxical? Yes, but is it true? You can bet your life on it, or better yet lose your life on it. You'll get a new, better life anyways...Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-72156062878208692172011-10-01T11:22:00.000-07:002011-10-01T11:23:29.050-07:00My Secret Heart or (Thrive)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZNoQKmYl44_2Dt7tkhir2X58E9imoioycS4FyamYsuETD0dViVORA30D4C2CkP0ZSaxYrdJ1h2jFKBefc2fwEgYZMtvXNGrN2gYViWW3xe1HKvh4gDrlgNm4-4agE_ydq0AtWOq91PAC/s1600/woundedheart.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZNoQKmYl44_2Dt7tkhir2X58E9imoioycS4FyamYsuETD0dViVORA30D4C2CkP0ZSaxYrdJ1h2jFKBefc2fwEgYZMtvXNGrN2gYViWW3xe1HKvh4gDrlgNm4-4agE_ydq0AtWOq91PAC/s320/woundedheart.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658591073505625506" /></a><br />I am wounded...<br /> <br />There I said it, but aren't we all? <br /> <br />Don't we all carry around these deep, deep wounds? <br /> <br />I am not alone...we are not alone. <br /> <br />There's a thing about being wounded, about hurting. If there's one thing that can unite us all and bring us all together it would be that we suffer. We are wounded. We are hurting. <br /> <br />So in turn we hurt others. <br /> <br />I'm guilty of this. <br /> <br />You're guilty of this. <br /> <br />We're all guilty of this. <br /> <br />My question as of late is why do we walk around with wounded hearts, yet so often try to hide them. <br /> <br />We are not ok. <br /> <br />Why do we pretend that we are? <br /> <br />Are we afraid that others may find us abnormal? Are we afraid others may laugh? Are we afraid that others may hurt us more if they see how much we've been hurt, so we put up these walls. <br /> <br />We are builders aren't we? <br /> <br />We like walls. <br /> <br />Big walls. <br /> <br />We put up these walls around our hearts, the center of our souls, the residence of our hurt. <br /> <br />We hide our wounds. <br /> <br />We protect our hearts. <br /> <br />Is that living? <br /> <br />Is that thriving? <br /> <br />No, it's simply suriving. <br /> <br />As of lately I feel like I don't know who I am. I feel like those walls I built, that we all build, have come crashing down leaving my wounds exposed. <br /> <br />I am a man, but I feel like a ghost. <br /> <br />I think it is because we can't fully live behind the walls we build out of whatever reasons we build them. <br /> <br />That's no way to live...actually it really is a form of death. <br /> <br />It's retreating. <br /> <br />Are we afraid to share that we are hurting, that we are wounded? Why? <br /> <br />I think it's ok to not be ok. <br /> <br />This song by Switchfoot has been my theme song as of lately: <br /> <br />Thrive<br />Been fighting things that I can't see in <br />Like voices coming from the inside of me and <br />Like doing things I find hard to believe in <br />Am I myself or am I dreaming? <br /> <br />I've been awake for an hour or so <br />Checking for a pulse but I just don't know <br />Am I a man when I feel like a ghost? <br />The stranger in the mirror is wearing my clothes <br /> <br />No I'm not alright <br />I know that I'm not right <br />A steering wheel don't mean you can drive <br />A warm body don't mean I'm alive <br />No I'm not alright <br />I know that I'm not right <br />Feels like I travel but I never arrive <br />I want to thrive not just survive <br /> <br />I come alive when I hear you singing <br />But lately I haven't been hearing a thing and <br />I get the feeling that I'm in between <br />A machine and a man who only looks like me <br /> <br /> <br />I try and hide it and not let it show <br />But deep down inside me I just don't know <br />Am I a man when I feel like a hoax? <br />The stranger in the mirror is wearing my clothes <br /> <br />No I'm not alright <br />I know that I'm not right <br />A steering wheel don't mean you can drive <br />A warm body don't mean I'm alive <br />No I'm not alright <br />I know that I'm not right <br />Feels like I travel but I never arrive <br />I want to thrive not just survive <br /> <br />I'm always close but I'm never enough <br />I'm always in line but I'm never in love <br />I get so down but I won't give up <br />I get slowed down but I won't give up <br /> <br />Been fighting things that I can't see in <br />Like voices coming from the inside of me and <br />Like doing things I find hard to believe in <br />Am I myself or am I dreaming? <br /> <br />No I'm not alright <br />I know that I'm not right <br />A steering wheel don't mean you can drive <br />A warm body don't mean I'm alive <br />No I'm not alright <br />I know that I'm not right <br />Feel like I travel but I never arrive <br />I want to thrive not just survive <br /> <br />I WANT TO THRIVE NOT JUST SURVIVE <br />(Words by Jon Foreman)<br /> <br /> <br />Jon and I can relate to feeling like a ghost. <br /> <br />Why is that? Do you feel like a ghost? Do you feel like you are FULLY living? <br /> <br />I don't....I'm not alright. Chances are you aren't either. If you're honest with yourself. <br /> <br />I think there's a connection to the walls we build up around our wounded hearts and the lacking of real living that we aren't experiencing! <br /> <br />David wrote in Psalm 51:6, "You desire truth in the inward being therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart." <br /> <br />The Message reads, "What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life." <br /> <br />True life comes from the heart, the wellspring. <br /> <br />The good news is that we DO NOT have to have a whole heart! Our hearts do not have to be alright or healed. <br /> <br />We all have wounds and pains in our hearts, but we are called to lift them to the Lord nonetheless. <br /> <br />David goes on to say in verse 17, "The sacrifice accept to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contriteheart, O God, you will not despise." <br /> <br />I read with some fellow brothers in the Lord the other night that contrite in Hebrew refers to having been pounded into dust! <br /> <br />D-U-S-T<br /> <br />Our hearts are but dust aren't they? <br /> <br />Broken. <br /> <br />Wounded. <br /> <br />Hurt...<br /> <br />We carry around contrite hearts whether we own up to that or not. <br /> <br />We are all hurting. <br /> <br />We all have those walls. We don't want to show them, but deep down inside we just don't know as Jon sings. <br /> <br />We really aren't alright. <br /> <br />But there's a beauty I have discovered in not being alright. <br /> <br />It is then that we can offer these secret hearts we all carry unto the Lord not only for praise, but so that His healing grace shall wash them clean with hyssop then mold them into a beautiful mosaic.<br /> <br />He will glorify Himself in our secret hearts. <br /> <br />He will teach us wisdom there. <br /> <br />But we must first start with the knowledge and confession that we aren't ok, that we are hiding our hurts. <br /> <br />It is then that the power of the Holy Spirit by the Blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world will come with His healing balm and restore us. <br /> <br />I don't know if any of this makes sense. I mainly wrote this as a cathartic blog to share with you thoughts that have poured forth from a secret heart full of wounds. <br /> <br />There's a fear in exposing our wounds, but it is in that exposure that we find light for the darkest crevices and recesses of our wounded hearts. <br /> <br />It is in that wounding and brokenness that we are ready to be made more like Him. <br /> <br />My brothers and sisters be exposed. We know our Lord searches the heart. Let Him search you. <br /> <br />Tear down the walls. <br /> <br />Share your wounded heart.<br /> <br />Let Truth search your inward being. <br /> <br />Let Wisdom come to your secret heart. <br /> <br />Begin to live and fully live.<br /> <br />Become alive.<br /> <br />Thrive...<br /> <br /> <br />May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amem + <br /> <br />O my Most Loving and Gentle Jesus, I desire with all the affections of my heart, that all beings should praise Thee, honor Thee and glorify Thee eternally for that sacred wound wherewith Thy divine side was rent. I deposit, enclose, conceal in that wound and in that opening in Thy Heart, my heart and all my feelings, thoughts, desires, intentions and all the faculties of my soul. I entreat Thee, by the precious Blood and Water that flowed from Thy Most Loving Heart, to take entire possession of me, that Thou may guide me in all things. Consume me in the burning fire of thy holy Love, so that I may be so absorbed and transformed into Thee that I may no longer be but one with Thee. Amen. -- Lanspergius, the CarthusianJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-50278202379390440052011-07-29T20:14:00.001-07:002011-07-29T20:14:20.589-07:00Freemasons: An Influential Secret SocietyFreemasons: An Influential Secret Society <br />“The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret,” Salvador Dalí once said (Thinkexistquotes). The Freemasons, a very secretive brotherhood or perhaps, more accurately, a brotherhood with secrets, has not been very outspoken about the depths of their influence on the United States government. John Hylan said this in regard to the Freemasons: <br />The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states, and nation. At the head is a small group of banking houses. This little coterie runs our government for their own selfish ends. It operates under cover of a self-created screen and seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers, and every agency created for the public protection (FDRS). <br /><br />The Freemasons have had a deep, influential impact on the American government. Whether through politics, education, or society, the Masons have had a part in helping shape the nation for which they constructed the foundations. “The Freemasons have had a long-standing relationship with the United States government from its early years with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt… [Freemasonry] has had a significant influence in the development of the United States constitution as well as the structure of the federal government and our system of laws” (Mason Influence in Government). The Freemasons played a key role in America’s winning the Revolutionary War and establishing herself as a sovereign State. Many Founding Fathers belonged to the brotherhood and “helped influence the structure of American society…” (Mason Influence in Government). The Framers of the Constitution who were masons built their beliefs into the very document that still governs society today, the Constitution. “These men [the Freemasons] and more have added their thoughts, wishes, and expectations to the building and development of the United States Constitution” (Mason Influence in Government). <br />Politics is a page written upon by the Freemasons’ influence. Many of America’s political leaders have been Freemasons. Each of the three branches of America’s government--Legislative, Executive, and Judicial-- have had Freemasons serve in active duty. The Legislative Branch, or Congress, has had the most Freemasons elected into it. <br />But it has not been the Legislative Branch alone in the United States which has been subjected to strong Masonic influence. The Craft's control of the Supreme Court already has been explored; and although Masonry's authority has not been as pronounced in the Executive Branch as in the two others, the secret Brotherhood has had good representation among Chief Executives. Fifteen of forty-three Presidents have been members of the Craft, some of whom have been more ardent in their attachment to the Fraternity than others (Freemasonry Watch 1). <br />Much of the ideology behind American Democracy such as the Bill of Rights and civil rights came from the beliefs of Freemasons. "This nation was nurtured on the ideals of Freemasonry; . . . most of those who are today its leaders are also members and leaders of the Craft (Craft is the practice of Freemasonry). They know that our American Democracy, with its emphasis on the inalienable rights and liberties of the individual, is Freemasonry in Government . . ." (Freemasonry Watch 3). America’s values as a nation resemble those of the Freemasons. “American republican values looked like Masonic values writ large: honorable civic-mindedness, a high regard for learning and progress, and what might be called a broad and tolerant religiosity” (Tolson 30). The Freemasons have helped shape politics by the practices, values, and ideas in which they believed. <br />Any teaching which is completely antagonistic to all that we consider sacred, in religion, in morals and in government, is subversive of those fundamentals, and on them we depend for our very existence as a Craft. Our first duty, therefore, becomes one of self-preservation, which includes defense of those principles for which we stand and by which we live. This duty cannot be discharged by complete silence on the subject, and this view, it is encouraging to note, is today shared by most of those who speak masonically in the United States (Freemasonry Watch 3). <br />Education is another page upon which the Freemasons have brushed their pens of influence. From elementary education to college, the Freemasons have written their influence upon the educational system of the United States. Upon reflecting the past of the educational system, the Freemason’s influence on education becomes very important to remember (Clough 1). <br />The sect of the Masons aims unanimously and steadily also at the possession of the education of children. They understand that a tender age is easily bent, and that there is no more useful way of preparing for the State such citizens as they wish. Hence, in the instruction and education of children they do not leave to the ministers of the [Catholic] Church any part either in directing or watching them. In many places, they have gone so far that children’s education is all in the hands of laymen: and from moral teaching every idea is banished of those holy and great duties which bind together man and God (Robison 308). <br />They realized that the mind of a child is easily swayed and shaped the way the sculptor wants. But they not only had influence in childhood education but also in college and university education. “John Slifko says, ‘Freemasonry in American history has often had a relationship with university life.’” (Clough 2). The Freemasons would allow any young man older than the age set by that lodge to join. Through this they kept their membership up. “‘One of the things that were common in the 1920s is that there would be a Masonic lodge associated with a specific university,’ wrote John Cooper” (Clough 1). “Indeed, the Freemasonry encouraged social movement and a more inclusive elite through education…” (Tolson 34). <br />Society is yet another page with the pen marks of the Freemason’s influence. They aided in building the bridge of American society with their ever-present influence (Mason Influence in Government). “‘It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of Masonry for the American Revolution. It not only created national icons that are still with us; it brought people together in new ways and helped fulfill the republican dream of reorganizing social relationships…’says Gordon Wood” (Bradley 126). Freemasons helped bring the nation together in new ways. Freemasonry literally brought together men and their thoughts (Bradley 127). “…The cultivation of politeness and honor, mutual assistance, networking, and tolerance for differences in the delicate matter of religion” built a sturdy foundation for the society of early America (Tolson 34). By setting up the laws in a certain intellectual way, the Framers literally put in pen how we would live our lives in accordance to those laws (Mason Influence in Government). <br />The principles of social science follow. Here naturalists teach that men have all the same rights, and are perfectly equal in condition; that every man is naturally independent; that no one has a right to command others; that it is tyranny to keep men subject to any other authority than that which emanates from themselves. Hence the people are sovereign; those who rule have no authority but by the commission and concession of the people; so that they can be deposed, willing or unwilling, according to the wishes of the people. The origin of all rights and civil duties is in the people or in the state, which is ruled according to the new principals of liberty. The State must be godless; no reason why one religion ought to be preferred to another; all to be held in the same esteem. Now it is well-known that Freemasons approve these maxims, and that they wish to see government shaped on this pattern and model needs no demonstration (Robinson 308-309, emphasis mine). <br />Freemasons brought about unity, nationalism, laws, and beliefs through their incredibly powerful influence which are still seen today. “He [Fay] argues that Freemasons engendered among a limited but very prominent class of people a feeling of American unity without which American liberty could not have developed—without which there would have been no United States” (Bradley 126). The Freemasons have indeed had a deep, influential impact on the American government. From politics to education to society, the weight of their influence has been felt and continues to be. Being such a secretive brotherhood, the depth of their influence may never be measured with accuracy. There is only thing that is true of the Freemason’s influence: “Historians can infer and they can surmise, but they may not be able to explain fully the influence of Freemasonry” (York 7). <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Works Cited <br />Bradley, Michael. The Secrets of The Freemasons. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006. <br />Clough, Richard. Geffen Houses a Masonic Past. 2006. 2 March 2008. <br /><http:></http:> <br />Dali, Salvador. Thinkexist Quotes About Influence. 2008. 3 March 2008. <br />http://thinkexist.com/quotations/influence/2.html <br />Robison, John J. Born In Blood. New York, New York: M. Evans and Company, 1989. <br />Tolson, Jay. “Inside the Masons.” U.S. News and World Report 5 September 2005L 30-35. <br />Unknown Author. Federal Debt Relief System. 2008. 3 March 2008. <br />http://www.fdrs.org/freemason_quotes.html <br />Unknown Author. Freemasonry Watch. 2008. 3 March 2008. www.freemasonrywatch.org <br />Unknown Author. Mason Influence In Government. 2008. 3 March 2008. <br /><http:> <br />York, Neil L. Freemasons and The American Revolution. 2008. 3 March 2008. <br /><http:></http:></http:>Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-90830311426635791462011-06-07T11:31:00.000-07:002011-06-07T11:32:02.917-07:00A Moderate Approach to Liberal and Conservative Thoughts on the Scriptures or (A Friend's Most Important Question)This is for all my theological friends that enjoy conversations. This is a little speech written by a friend of mine here at Johnson for his faith community. The theme was, "Your Most Important Question." His thoughts were worthy of conversation, dialogue, and perhaps debate. I ask that all remain friendly and kind if conversation does proceed from such a touchy subject. He has allowed me to share this and leave his name out of it for now. So enjoy my friend's thoughts on the Bible:<br /> <br />My Most Important Question <br /> <br /> <br />Good morning. For those of you who do not know me, my name is *** ***** and I am the summer intern here at ********* I am a 21 year old senior at Johnson University and I have been a part of the community here at ********* since the fall of 2009. <br /> <br />My most important question is about the Bible, specifically its authorship and inspiration. I always thought I understood the Bible pretty well. I mean, it all seemed pretty easy in Sunday School. However, the older I became the more I questioned and examined what I believe about the Bible. I soon realized it wasn’t that easy to understand at all <br /> <br />I have been attending church since I was in the womb. God blessed me with a wonderful family who loves him and a family that taught me how to love God. So because of that I’ve been in the church all of my life. I went to youth group, camps, and big Christian youth conferences when I was younger. I was just your prototypical dorky kid in youth group. <br /> <br />When I was growing up I had these grand plans for my life which included meteorology, being a lawyer and then finally I thought I wanted to teach. However, after attending a Christ in Youth Conference my freshman year in high school, I decided that I wanted to enter into the ministry.<br /> <br />So in the fall of 2008, I started attending Johnson Bible College...now Johnson University to prepare for a career in ministry. I wasn’t sure specifically what kind of ministry, I just knew I wanted to do this with my life.<br /> <br />In the last year, more so the last few months, I have been doing some thinking about how I view and interpret the Bible..and it has caused me to wrestle through some hard questions about how to see the Bible...and as a result my approach to the Bible has changed<br /> <br />Growing up in the church I was taught that the Bible was the authoritative word of God.<br /> <br />I was taught that it was inerrant. That it was infallible and that it was inspired by God.<br /> <br />And as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, that it is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”<br /> <br />I believed and accepted this because it was what I was taught and I trusted the sources that this information was coming from. However, I never really understood what all this meant because I had never worked through the meaning for myself. <br /> <br />I believe that how we see something affects how we read it and how we interpret it. What we bring to our reading of a text or document affects how we read it. All of us, whether we use reading glasses or not, read through lenses. <br /> <br />For the sake of simplicity, I am going to say that there are two ways to read the Bible, that there are two lenses at which to read the Bible through.<br /> <br />Conflict about how to see and read the Bible is a major issue dividing Christians in our country today. Each denomination has their own certain slant and beliefs about how to read certain parts of the Bible. This conflict usually divides Christians into two groups often labeled “fundamentalist” and “liberal.” Separating these two groups are two very different ways of seeing three foundational questions about the Bible: questions about its origin, its authority, and its interpretation.<br /> <br />The first group believes as the church has traditionally taught that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. They believe the Bible comes from God, as no other book does. As a divine product, it is God’s truth, and its divine origin is the basis of it’s authority. For these Christians, the Bible is to be interpreted literally.<br /> <br />The second group of Christians are less clear about what they believe about the Bible. They think that some parts of the Bible cannot be taken literally. This second group is often uncertain what it means to say that the Bible is “the Word of God” or “inspired by God,” and they are unsure what “biblical authority” might mean.<br /> <br />I never would have considered myself to be a “fundamentalist,” and now since my view of the Bible has changed I don’t consider myself to be a “liberal.” So, what am I? I don’t know. Maybe I have created my own group.<br /> <br />The issue that I first dealt with about the Bible was authorship. Scholars question the traditional authorship of many of the books in the New Testament. For example, we really don’t know who wrote the gospels. The authors of the texts don’t name themselves. Church tradition actually ascribed the names that we associate with each gospel. <br /> <br />Scholars also believe, and I now agree with them, that some of the texts in the New Testament were not written by the people we think they were. By comparing writing style, theology, and vocabulary, scholars think that Paul only wrote seven of the texts in the New Testament that bear his name. The rest were written probably later, after Paul’s death by other people in Paul’s name which was a common practice of the time to write in the name of a famous figure.<br /> <br />After accepting all this, I had to wrestle with the question of the Bible’s reliability. Could I trust the Bible if it wasn’t written by who I thought it was? How can the Bible be inerrant and infallible if Ephesians or 1 or 2 Timothy wasn’t written by Paul?<br /> <br />The questioning of the Bible’s authorship also led me to question the inspiration of scripture. The inspiration of scripture is understood to mean that God guided the writing of the Bible, directly or indirectly. What scripture says, then, ultimately comes from God.<br /> <br />I became really confused about what I was hearing about the scripture’s authorship. Some of these letters were written by Paul and some were not. And we can’t be sure who wrote this gospel, but we’re fairly certain this person wrote that letter.<br /> <br />I had been taught that the Bible was God’s word, that it was a divine product. <br /> <br />Well then, who wrote Romans? Was it Paul? Was it God? If scripture was “written” by God, then how was it done? Were the writers mysteriously led by God to write what they did? If so, does that still happen today why can’t I do that.<br /> <br />I found it hard to believe and accept the traditional view of inspiration knowing what I did know about the Bible’s authorship.<br /> <br />The alternative to seeing the Bible as a divine product is to see it as a human product--as a human response to God...the product of two ancient communities. This is the lens through which I now see scripture. The Old Testament is the product of ancient Israel and the New Testament is the product of the early Christian community. <br /> <br />What the Bible says is the words of those communities, not God’s words. I know that sounds controversial, so let me explain myself. What I mean by that is that I don’t believe God communicated to the authors the exact words he wanted them to say. I don’t believe that God took control of Paul’s hand and wrote his letters for him.<br /> <br />Scripture emerged from authors who were a part of God’s community and the books in Scripture arose out of particular circumstances and were written by authors with intent and agenda. Those individual authors interacted with one another to carry forward the story of God putting his family back together.<br /> <br />To see the Bible as a human product does not in any way deny the reality of God. In all of this questioning about scripture, I never questioned my faith, I never questioned the truthfulness of what is in scripture. I just had a lot of questions about how the Bible came to be. <br /> <br />Just because I accept that the people who we think wrote certain books in the Bible did not, and because I don’t hold to the traditional view of inspiration does not mean that I reject that the Bible accurately conveys the will of God and the teachings of Jesus<br /> <br />I am not devaluing scripture when I say it is a human product. I see the Bible sacred not in origin, but in status. <br /> <br />The Bible is sacred not because of some mystical, mysterious involvement from God. The Bible is sacred because of its value, because of what it means for us.<br /> <br />For us, the status of the Bible as sacred scripture means that it is the most important collection of writings we know. These are the primary writings that define who we are in relation to God and who we are as a community and as individuals. This is the book that has shaped us and will continue to shape us. <br /> <br />To me, seeing the Bible as sacred in status and not in origin also leads to a different way of seeing the authority of the Bible. Rather than being an authority standing above us telling us what to believe and do, the Bible is the ground of the world in which Christians live.<br /> <br />The biblical canon names the primary collection of ancient documents with which Christians are to be in continuing dialogue with.<br /> <br />Scripture, N.T. Wright says, does not exist to give authoritative answers to questions other than those it addresses. <br /> <br />Some questions and issues of scripture only applied to the time they were written, others still affect us today.<br /> <br />Wright goes on to say that one can deduce from Scripture appropriate answers to such later questions, only that we have to be careful and recognize that is indeed what we are doing.<br /> <br />In the modern period, the Bible has almost been elevated to a position of worship. <br /> <br />The Bible is not an object to be worshiped it is the lens through which we see God. It’s important that we put our faith and trust in God and not just the lens through which we see God.<br /> <br />I still think the Bible is holy, and I still think it is the Word of God<br /> <br />And a word is a means of communication, involving both speaking and hearing. A word is a means of disclosure; we disclose or reveal ourselves through words. Words bridge the distance between ourselves and others; we commune and become intimate through words.<br /> <br />The Bible is a means of divine self-disclosure. It is a record of God’s interaction with his creation. It is God’s way of revealing himself to us. It is God opening himself up to us and saying, “Here I am!” And it contains the stories and traditions that reveal the character and will of God.<br /> <br />By no means do I think that I totally understand the origins of scripture and how to understand it, but I’ve wrestled through these questions about the Bible and I have come out the other end of the tunnel and my faith is still strong. This is how I see the Bible now, as a lens that helps me see God.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-12569438332941407102011-05-31T23:23:00.000-07:002011-05-31T23:26:44.441-07:00Conformed to the Image of His SonThe topic of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship is something I'm very passionate about. And it seems to me, in my experience anyways, that it isn't something many churches talk about or do. I feel that the Church today focus too heavily on evangelism. Now, don't get me wrong, that is quite important, but the lack of discipleship is hurting many. <br /><br />I attended a Christian school and was surrounded by great Christian men and women, but even after I was baptized I felt I was kind of left on my own to figure things out. The biggest trouble was not having a spiritual director or mentor. Yes, I learned quite a good deal about the Bible, but I still needed that guidance. Maybe it is my fault that I didn't seek someone out. Not to put blame on any of those great folks at MMS for they have given me more than enough in this life, and I'm indeed grateful. <br /><br />But even still today I feel like I don't have that guidance or one-on-one with a older, wiser Christian with whom I could be discipled. Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We see that Christ doesn't want us to merely baptize people and then leave them on their own. We are called to MAKE disciple. We are called to disciple and be discipled.<br /><br /> So I listened to one of my favorite professors at JBC give a sermon on the topic of Spiritual Formation. And I mention Discipleship because often it is something we chose for ourselves to undergo. And Dr. Gupton gave an amazing sermon on some ways to have Christ spiritually formed in you so much so that you are conformed to the image of His Son. And that's the point of discipleship and spiritual formation. That you be made to look like Christ Jesus our Lord. <br /><br />So I listened to Dr. Gupton's sermon and took notes on it. And I wanted to share those notes with you on here so that maybe the Body would be edified. I hope you can take something from them:<br /><br /><br />Conformed to the Image of His Son<br />Dr. Gupton on Spiritual Formation and Discipleship<br /><br /><br />"Spiritual disciplines are activities we do to cooperate with God's work to transform us into the image of Christ." -Dr. Carlus Gupton<br /><br />I John 3:2-3- “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”<br /><br />Romans 12:1-2-“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”<br /><br />Romans 8:28-29-“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.<br /><br />Each of us lives between two realities. We live between who we are and who we long to be. We say to ourselves, “I am what I am.” We are insecure about our ordinariness. We want to distort who we really are. We change, but not that much. The second reality is: “I am not yet what I shall be.” The truth is underscored by Scripture, I John 3:2-3. In between these two realities is the process we call transformation or spiritual formation, growth. We are not the ones who do the transformation, but we are to cooperate with God in that transformation. Transformation=metamorphosis. God works to conform us to the image of His Son. Spiritual formation is the life-long process of being conformed to Christ for our good and that of the world’s. <br /><br />How do we do this? <br /><br />We must discuss the spiritual disciplines and practices. Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline is an amazing book on this subject. <br /><br />Spiritual Disciplines:<br />1. They are put forth as overwhelming<br />2. Jesus warns heavily on putting the spiritual life out of reach of people (Matthew 23:4)<br />3. Spiritual disciplines are not a measure of spirituality. They are SUPPOSED to help us become more like Christ! Spiritual practices don’t help us at all unless they make us like Christ. <br />4. They are activities we do to cooperate with God’s work in transforming us into Christ’s image. <br /><br />Spiritual Practice of Prayer:<br />-Principle 1- Simplicity. Jesus’ prayer. When you pray say these words. Do this. The prayer captured the major tenants of Jesus’ teaching. To learn what is important to Jesus then unpack those phrases. Kingdom is so much bigger than Church. It’s about our response to God and how we bring Heaven to earth. Kingdom encompasses so much of God’s grand vision for the world and how we participate in that vision. The prayers are simple, repeated throughout the day. Acts 2:42-devoted to Apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. They prayed at 9 AM, Noon, and 2 PM. Breaking of bread alludes to Eucharist. Eucharist was about that remembering and that transformation. Consistent participation in God’s work of transformation. <br /><br />-Principle 2-Regularity. Jesus gives us these as simple, but as something done regularly. I Thessalonians 5:16-18, pray continually. Alludes to praying 3 times a day. Early Christians borrowed the tradition from the Jews. <br /><br />The 3 Times of Prayer:<br />The Morning Light- Psalms 88<br />The Midday- Psalms 92<br />The Nightfall- Psalms 92<br /><br />Remember those times so you pray and you honor the presence of God in your life. Reminder that God is in the work of changing you and you want to participate in that work. <br /><br />1. The Prayer of Morning Light<br /><br />John Stott’s Morning Trinitarian Prayer<br /><br />Good morning heavenly Father,<br />good morning Lord Jesus,<br />good morning Holy Spirit.<br /><br />Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe.<br />Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.<br />Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God.<br /><br />Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence<br />and please you more and more.<br /><br />Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.<br /><br />Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.<br /><br />Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God,<br />have mercy upon me. Amen<br /><br />2. The Prayer of Midday (can be any prayer)<br /><br />St. Francis’ Prayer for Peace<br /><br />Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;<br />where there is hatred, let me sow love;<br />where there is injury, pardon:<br />where there is doubt, faith ;<br />where there is despair, hope<br />where there is darkness, light<br />where there is sadness, joy<br />O divine Master,<br />grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;<br />to be understood, as to understand;<br />to be loved, as to love;<br />for it is in giving that we receive,<br />it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,<br />and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.<br />Amen.<br /><br />Anima Christi<br />Soul of Christ, sanctify me.<br />Body of Christ, save me.<br />Blood of Christ, inebriate me.<br />Water from the side of Christ, wash me.<br />Passion of Christ, strengthen me.<br />O Good Jesus, hear me.<br />Within your wounds hide me.<br />Permit me not to be separated from you.<br />From the wicked foe, defend me.<br />At the hour of my death, call me<br />and bid me come to you<br />That with your saints I may praise you<br />For ever and ever. Amen.<br /><br />Mark the time that we say to God that we are walking with God. And that He is working in us, let us cooperate with Him. <br /><br />3. The Evening Prayer (Prayer of Examen)<br /><br />5 Practices at End of Day<br />1. Become aware of God’s presence<br />2. Review day with gratitude<br />3. Ask Spirit to see ourselves honestly-reflection<br />4. Pray about one event of the day<br />5. Look forward to tomorrow<br /><br />4 Questions When Reviewing the Day:<br />-What went well?<br />-What went poorly? <br />-What gifts did I receive?<br />-What needs healing? <br /><br />Prayer can be simple and regular. By this we participate with God in the process He is engaged in and that is transforming us into His image. <br /><br />http://ignatianspirituality.com/<br /><br />http://www.rcdom.org.uk/documents/EXAMEN.pdfJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-43815842113287323962011-05-26T15:25:00.000-07:002011-05-26T15:35:49.590-07:00Love Can Last If You Only Let It Grow or (Reflections on Our Marriage)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWfgY1P2P4kBvfk6Uj4fIY_-GoTq4cJZUR9fWBydogwJQFxWx0K-fpyWWHh_czAFm3Vj8Vk3dAJXbdc-tZgpvQNzw26jCYqO-dpEI6dZkS1Npu6JkOS1nL5S0FuL1FBMGW9VBztOg-H2h/s1600/130_1945.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWfgY1P2P4kBvfk6Uj4fIY_-GoTq4cJZUR9fWBydogwJQFxWx0K-fpyWWHh_czAFm3Vj8Vk3dAJXbdc-tZgpvQNzw26jCYqO-dpEI6dZkS1Npu6JkOS1nL5S0FuL1FBMGW9VBztOg-H2h/s320/130_1945.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611157202931894098" /></a><br />There's been two central themes to Courtney's and my relationship: Colossians 1:17 and the William Fitzsimmons lyric that is tattooed on my right forearm that says, "Love can last if you only let it grow..." <br /> <br />As many of you may already know Courtney and I became Celebrants in the Sacramant of Holy Matrimony on Saturday May 21, 2011 at 1:30 in the afternoon. We are the chief celebrants of this Sacrament. We minister to one another in this Sacrament. The Book of Common Prayer's Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage begins with this:<br /> <br />"Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.<br /> <br />The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God."The Sacrament of Marriage is not something we have taken lightly or unadvisedly.<br /> <br />With the Sacrament of Marriage we become a little Trinity with Jesus Christ. It is He who brought us together and He that holds us together. Father David Garrett made a point that there's human love and there's God love. Our human love has brought us together, but it is God's love that binds us to one another. Colossians 1:17 says, "He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together." <br /> <br />This verse was the key verse that Courtney and I discovered and decided to make the verse of Scripture that we build our marriage on. This verse is extremly powerful! The first point to me is that it speaks of the almight presence of Christ, that He is everlasting, everywhere! We can't escape His presence. He is before all creation! He is the Word became FLESH! And it reminds me of the simple notion of letting God go ahead of you, following Him and letting Him guide. <br /> <br />The second point is that in Him ALL things hold together! Now, all things means all things right? That's how we apply the principle here! That Jesus Christ is before us, leading us in our marriage, but that also He is IN our marriage, holding us together with the love of God that allowed the Word to become flesh. <br /> <br />The song lyric by William Fitzsimmons says, "Love can last if you only let it grow..."<br /> <br />This lyric is quite simple and it spoke profoundly to me. In highschool, Mr. Hertzog, one of the Mt. Mission teachers, told us in 8th grade that he never understood why people say they "fell in love". He said that sounds like it was an accident and that you don't fall in love, you GROW in love! <br /> <br />That and the notion that often times we simply don't do things to let love grow. We smother it. We neglect it. We forget about it. We don't care about it. Whatever the reason is the love begins to wither and fail, dying off. <br /> <br />Now, don't get me wrong, marriage is HARD WORK AND YOU MUST WORK TO MAKE IT WORK! I fully understand that statement. I am not neglecting that you must put forth effort. But there's such a thing as trying too hard! <br /> <br />I think we have to find balance and moderation. We just have to exist, to BE :) We must put forth effort to love one another and grow, but we must not put forth too much effort that it is forced or that love becomes a something-I-have-to-do because you made that vow. I said to my bride that day, "In the Name of God, I, Jonathan, take you, Courtney, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow." <br /> <br />I made a vow that I will keep by God's help through the holding together of our marriage. He is our strong foundation. I made a vow to let love last if we only let it grow. <br /> <br />Proverbs tells us that a man is blessed and shown favor if he finds a wife. I have found my wife, my lady, my love. <br /> <br />I couldn't be more excited for the journey ahead even though there will be times when the road is meandering and often times rocky, we know that we can make it because we have the love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.<br /> <br />Go forth with great rejoicing and remember that even though it may seem like love is hard that God is fully present in this Blessed Sacrament.<br /> <br />Remember that love can last if you only let it grow...<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, your out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-66739932973765699712011-04-24T10:02:00.000-07:002011-04-24T10:03:35.783-07:00A Beautiful Collision or (3+4=7)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7E27SpPSrAGZvjDZ6kiyox8ymeYNUt0t_ilHIgKE0NA8FslPQbAsCkcYhxRYaXWBUUXVYl4z2uYc5C5x8eVnEOgncMek4rUI4fRYjfCDlTmv05Q40UqNvAyRuKHyz3eaoxoBjs43KzU4/s1600/icon-resurrection.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7E27SpPSrAGZvjDZ6kiyox8ymeYNUt0t_ilHIgKE0NA8FslPQbAsCkcYhxRYaXWBUUXVYl4z2uYc5C5x8eVnEOgncMek4rUI4fRYjfCDlTmv05Q40UqNvAyRuKHyz3eaoxoBjs43KzU4/s320/icon-resurrection.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599196860957354338" /></a><br />GRANT, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the death of thy blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, so by continual mortifying our corrupt affections we may be buried with him; and that, through the grave, and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful resurrection; for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again for us, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.<br /> <br />Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ who in this day rose from the dead. Resurrected! May the peace of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ be always with you. <br /> <br />There's many things one can say about Easter and the blessed Resurrection of our Lord. But I want to talk about collisions!<br /> <br />David Crowder, in his genius, wrote an entire album about collisions. This album is called "A Collision or (3+4=7)! <br /> <br />David Crowder has a saying on the album leaflet that reads, "When our depravity meets His Divinity it is a BEAUTIFUL COLLISION!" <br /> <br />Is this grand statement so eloquently put not the perfect summation of The Resurrection Day? <br /> <br />It is Heaven colliding with earth! It is the Divine colliding with the human! It is Perfection colliding with entropy! It is the Remedy colliding with pain! It is Wholeness colliding with brokeness! It is the Just colliding with the unjust! It is the Love colliding with hate! It is the Cure colliding with the hurt! <br /> <br />As David Crowder writes, "It is the collision of our fallen state and our Makers's transcendance. It is a rendering of our mortality and eternal life. It is about the tension that exists in the living of life, here, where the sky meets the broken earth. It is about a tsunami in East Asia. It is a bout a sunrise over Hiroshima. It is about too many who know intensely what pain the world 'cancer' holds and the words of my friend whispered in my ear, 'It's okay. none of us are getting out of here alive you know.' It is about victory. It is about the joy that comes when blood tests return and a miracle is announced. It is the hope in a rescue that has come, the hope in a rescue that has found us, and the relentless hope in a great rescure that is still coming--one that has not yet arrived but is no less present...The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now and coming!"<br /> <br />AMEN! <br /> <br />This makes me ponder the previous blogs about Epiphany and Lent that I transposed. There's a connection to Epiphany, Lent, and Easter that I think is tied to Scripture! The Epiphany blog was about how we too share in baptism by witnessing our Lord being baptized. The Lent blog was about dying to sin, dying to ourselves in order that Christ may live with us. And this Easter blog is about the collision of our depravity with the Divinity of the Risen Lord. <br /> <br />Saint Paul writes in Romans 6:3-11, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.<br /> <br /> For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." <br /> <br />Even the Lord said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."<br /> <br /> <br />Death, burial, resurrection! Baptism, Death, Resurrection! Epiphany, Lent, Easter!<br /> <br />There's connection I do believe! <br /> <br />We were dead, but now we are ALIVE! David Crowder explains that 3 is the number used to represent God. The number typically expresed to represent humanity is 4. He talks about when these combined you get the number 7, perfection! Wholeness! Reconciliation! <br /> <br />In our death in baptism we arise to newness in life for Christ too was raised to newless of life in His Resurrection! <br /> <br />When our depravity meets His Divinity it is a BEAUTIFUL COLLISION!<br /> <br />So we have shared and are sharing with our Savior and Risen Lord Jesus Christ the glorious Resurrection life! We have become partakers of the Divine! We have risen from the dead, from a eternal sleep, to a new life! <br /> <br />Saint Peter writes, "Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!" <br /> <br />With this newness of life we have become divine. <br /> <br />St. Irenaeus of Lyons stated that God "became what we are in order to make us what he is himself."<br /> <br />St. Clement of Alexandria says that "he who obeys the Lord and follows the prophecy given through him . . . becomes a god while still moving about in the flesh." <br /> <br />St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we "are called `temples of God' and indeed `gods,' and so we are."<br /> <br />St. Basil the Great stated that "becoming a god" is the highest goal of all.<br /> <br />St. Gregory of Nazianzus implores us to "become gods for (God's) sake, since (God) became man for our sake."<br /> <br />And my favorite Church Father quote is from one of my favorite saints, Saint Athanasius who wrote that, "God became man so that men might become gods."<br /> <br />Our faith must have goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love! <br /> <br />But the most important thing about this is that we must take Resurrection to the world. We have been resurrected, are being resurrected, and will be resurrected. As the Kingdom of God resurrection is to come, but is no less present already. St. Augustine said, "Our full adoption as sons will take place in the redemption of our body. We now have the first fruits of the spirit (Rom 8:29), by which we are indeed made sons of God. In other respects, however, since we are not yet finally saved, we are therefore not yet fully made new, not yet sons of God but children of the world."<br /> <br />But we must bring resurrection to those asleep in their graves! We must bring resurrection to this broken earth! We must bring knowledge of Christ's resurrection to those who are hurting, grieving, broken, and are in need of the balm of salvation!<br /> <br />There's plenty of darkness that needs light! There's plenty of death and hell around that needs the glorious eruption of Resurrection to burst forth and shed light and life on the captives. <br /> <br />We on this day celebrate the Risen Lord's triumph over the grave, over death, over sin, over brokeness, over hate, and over hell! <br /> <br />If the Risen Lord's Resurrection conquered all these things, then should not our resurrection that we share with him through our baptism not conquer these things? Does not the Creeds say that Christ descended to the dead? He saved all from death and hell! Should not we be sharing this Good News and doing all we can to reverse the effects of death and hell here and now. The Lord prayed, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!" Again, there is a collision! <br /> <br />The answer is yes because on this day the depravity of humanity came into a massive collision with His Divinity and it was and is and will be always a BEAUTIFUL COLLISION! <br /> <br />N.T. Wright observes, "Easter was the pilot project. What God did for Jesus that explosive morning is what He intends to do for the whole creation. We who live in the interval between Jesus's Resurrection and the final rescue and transformation of the whole world are called to be new-creation people here and now. That is the hidden meaning of the greatest festival Christians have.<br /> <br />This true meaning has remained hidden because the Church has trivialised it and the world has rubbished it. The Church has turned Jesus's Resurrection into a 'happy ending'after the dark and messy story of Good Friday, often scaling it down so that 'resurrection' becomes a fancy way of saying 'He went to Heaven'. Easter then means: 'There really is life after death'. The world shrugs its shoulders. We may or may not believe in life after death, but we reach that conclusion independently of Jesus, of odd stories about risen bodies and empty tombs." <br /> <br />There is more to Easter then Christ going to Heaven. With His Resurrection He brought the world and humanity into collision with Divinity!<br /> <br />He contineus, "The world wants to hush up the real meaning of Easter. Death is the final weapon of the tyrant or, for that matter, the anarchist, and resurrection indicates that this weapon doesn't have the last word. When the Church begins to work with Easter energy on the twin tasks of justice and beauty, we may find that it can face down the sneers of sceptics, and speak once more of Jesus in a way that will be heard."<br /> <br />We must work out our faith and resurrection with justice and beauty sharing it with the world and helping to restore the world to its Creator!<br /> <br />We will never be the same...WE ARE RESURRECTION PEOPLE! <br /> <br />Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who are reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by faith; through Jesus Christ. Amen.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-68864724988787454212011-03-09T12:25:00.000-08:002011-03-09T12:27:21.035-08:00Jejune Holiness: A Return To Innocence or (My Reflections on Ash Wednesday and Lent)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANBS1IhtKjALesIhng7lYKo4hcvO_0rM9qT3shctvxcO5ExJwbNt21AEe0k2SPkwdst5R0IAt9UmnQD6Oa_eXhQdx_T_jWrdaxkhej2zhbrmmbT-vma1Aci36LmBkYtXi7y8dk5ib7zgA/s1600/199664_10150106713575812_719500811_7021290_8358484_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANBS1IhtKjALesIhng7lYKo4hcvO_0rM9qT3shctvxcO5ExJwbNt21AEe0k2SPkwdst5R0IAt9UmnQD6Oa_eXhQdx_T_jWrdaxkhej2zhbrmmbT-vma1Aci36LmBkYtXi7y8dk5ib7zgA/s320/199664_10150106713575812_719500811_7021290_8358484_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582179378440250338" /></a><br />Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.<br /> <br />Today marks the season of Lent for the Church, which most people across denominations participate in and practice. Today is Dies Cnerum or the Day of Ashes, Ash Wednesday. For a brief history on how Lent became to be a Holy Day within the Church read here:<br /> <br />http://www.orlutheran.com/html/ash.html<br /> <br />Lent to many people can be about different things. For some it is a season of fasting, a season of almsgiving, a time of introspective reflection, a time of praying, a time of devotion, a time of rending our hearts unto the Father to have them changed, a time of meditation upon God's Word, or a time of repentance and penance. For me Lent is about all of these things<br /> <br />I like this defining of Lent: <br /> <br />"The definition of the 'observance of a Holy Lent' is marked by disciplines of self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word, all moving toward that purpose: to believe again in the power of God to offer us ways to 'die to sin' and begin new life again," said Dr. James Kowalski <br /> <br />Joan Chittister said, "Lent is not a ritual. It is time given to think seriously about who Jesus is for us, to renew our faith from the inside out." <br /> <br />I like how those two put Lent. Lent is about many things, but I want to focus on that dying to sin and beginning new life again by renewing our faith from the inside out. <br /> <br />For me Lent is about HOLINESS....<br /> <br />Lent follows the season of Epiphany, which is about the celebration of Jesus' Baptism. I wrote about the season of Epiphany and much of what I have to say here will tie into that blog found here:<br /> <br />http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=482768963262<br /> <br />After Jesus' Baptism He was led into the wilderness which is recorded well in Saint Matthew's Gospel:<br /> <br />"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’ <br /> <br />Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’ <br /> <br />Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ <br /> <br />Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’<br /> <br />Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’ <br /> <br />Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him."<br /> <br />Pope Benedict said, ""Fasting means abstaining from food, but includes other forms of self-denial to promote a more sober lifestyle. But that still isn't the full meaning of fasting, which is the external sign of the internal reality of our commitment to abstain from evil with the help of God and to live the Gospel." <br /> <br />Isn't that exactly what Christ experienced in the Wilderness? Christ fasted, which was a outward manifestation of His internal love for God to abstain from evil! <br /> <br />Jesus experienced the spokeman for evil himself and yet Christ did not succomb to the temptations of sin and evil. <br /> <br />He abstained by evil! <br /> <br />What is interesting is that He abstained from evil not just by fasting, but by refuting Satan with Scripture. <br /> <br />Christ retained His holiness and defeated His temptation by His meditations, prayers, fasting, and use of Scripture. <br /> <br />We, too, have been baptized. It is at our baptism that we receieve forgiveness, we rise to new life in innocence when we come out of that water. We are a new person. <br /> <br />BUT<br /> <br />We still have to deal with our flesh or sinful nature. It isn't too long afterwards that we will lose that initial innocence by sinning. We fall and stumble. <br /> <br />We fail to obtain that holiness that Christ had. <br /> <br />My observation is that so often our holiness is just that our holiness! <br /> <br />Our holiness is JEJUNE HOLINESS! <br /> <br />Meaning it is lacking in significance because it is not up to us what holiness is. We are not the definers of holiness. God's Word is the definer of true holiness, but so often in our morally relative socity we make things that are not acceptable to God acceptable to us such as fornication, divorce, lying, cheating, adultery, homosexuality, or whatever else it may be. <br /> <br />I say that because we don't take our lives and examine them in light of Scripture, but so often twist Scripture or right out ignore it to justify our behavior. <br /> <br />I am very guilty of this, please understand that. <br /> <br />We ALL are! <br /> <br />We were baptized into salvation and newness of life with a committment to abstain from evil and to live out the Gospel. <br /> <br />I feel in my life with all the moral relativism around that it is hard to live that out these days. We go into our Wilderness and instead of confronting it with Scripture we embrace it or justify it by any means necessary. <br /> <br />Some may think that this is a little harsh, but it is a observation I have made. Ask yourself how many sermons you have heard on repentance, penance, sin, holiness, and confession in your life. <br /> <br />I have not heard that many. Repentance seems to be a neglected pillar of the Gospel that we seeker friendly types want to cover up because God forbid we hold someone or ourselves to a Biblical standard of holiness, which is obtained by abstaining from evil, living out the Gospel, and repentanting by confession when we fail to do those things. <br /> <br />I CONFESS THAT I AM A SINNER! I have failed to repent! I have failed to obtain holiness! I have failed to live out the Gospel by living righteously and by sharing with others the Gospel and meeting their needs! I confess that I have sinned against God and man! I confess that I have justified my sinful nature and have failed to live according to Biblical Holiness! I confess I have lived according to my Jejune holiness! <br /> <br />I feel that confession is forgotten in our seeker friendly model of ministry and church today. Saint James told us in his Epistle, "Therefore confess your sins to one another." <br /> <br />Saint John writes, "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." <br /> <br />We must confess to one another and to God. Confession is not to be in silence, but with our brothers and sisters for the purpose of accountablitity and need be discipline. We must regain a focus on confession. Confession must be understood in light of the fact that at our baptism we are forgiven, but not for our future sins. We are not promised that. We are forgiven after baptism through confession. <br /> <br />The Didache says, "In the church you shall acknowledge your transgressions, and you shall not come near for your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life..But every Lord's day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure." <br /> <br />Confession is VERY important as believers! <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Job said, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." <br /> <br />It is a strong phrase to say you despise yourself, but it is the beginning of repentance. <br /> <br />Justyn Terry said, "Today, Christians around the world hear the sobering words, 'Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.' It is an invitation to face up to our own sin and mortality and to start the forty-day journey through Lent to Easter. It is a time for greater honesty, for facing hard truths about our lives and for rediscovering God's grace." <br /> <br />Yes, we are self-despised sinners! Yes, we MUST repent! Yes, we MUST confess our sins to God and one another! <br /> <br />But we have been baptized; we can return to innocense by rediscoverying God's grace anew! <br /> <br />Our jejune holiness is not what makes us better Christians! Holiness is not defined by culture or by our individual likings, it is defined by Scripture. "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16). <br /> <br />I believe that repentance and confession are essential if we are going to become Partakers of the Divine Nature that Saint Peter writes about (II Peter 1:4). <br /> <br />So for me Lent is about reflecting and meditating about God's Word and how my messed up view of holiness, my jejune holiness, does not make my holy. It is easy to become holy by my own standards, but we are called to become holy to His standards (Leviticus 11:44). <br /> <br />Lent for me is about introspective examination. It is about sacrificing and being more disciplined. It is about discovering how our sin prevents us from obtaining holiness if we go on without repentance and confessing. <br /> <br />So really Lent is about that returning to innocence, to that newness of life and grace that we receieved at our baptisms, for if we are repent and confess He is faithfull to forgive us. <br /> <br />Psalm 51:17 says, "<br />The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." <br /> <br />May we pray together through the Litany of Penitance: <br /> <br />Most holy and merciful Father:<br />We confess to you and to one another,<br />and to the whole communion of saints<br />in heaven and on earth,<br />that we have sinned by our own fault<br />in thought, word, and deed;<br />by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.<br /> <br />We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and<br />strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We<br />have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.<br />Have mercy on us, Lord.<br /> <br />We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us.<br />We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved<br />your Holy Spirit.<br />Have mercy on us, Lord.<br /> <br />We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the<br />pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,<br />We confess to you, Lord.<br /> <br />Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation<br />of other people,<br />We confess to you, Lord.<br /> <br />Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those<br />more fortunate than ourselves,<br />We confess to you, Lord.<br /> <br />Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and<br />our dishonesty in daily life and work,<br />We confess to you, Lord.<br /> <br />Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to<br />commend the faith that is in us,<br />We confess to you, Lord.<br /> <br />Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done:<br />for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our<br />indifference to injustice and cruelty,<br />Accept our repentance, Lord.<br /> <br />For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our<br />neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those<br />who differ from us,<br />Accept our repentance, Lord.<br /> <br />For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of<br />concern for those who come after us,<br />Accept our repentance, Lord.<br /> <br />Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;<br />Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.<br /> <br />Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,<br />That we may show forth your glory in the world.<br /> <br />By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,<br />Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.<br /> <br />Amen<br /> <br />Remember the words of the Psalmist: <br /> <br />"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit."<br /> <br />Take time today to repent and confess with a brother or sister and before God whether or not you are planning to practice Lent or participate in Ash Wednesday.<br /> <br />May we be filled with the Holy Spirit to repent and confess our sins in order that the He may be able to work in and through us furthering us in taking on the Divine Nature. God cannot work where sin is present, so may we take this time to confess, repent, meditate, sacrifice, and give alms. <br /> <br />Therefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do on this day, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-76994353135514114132011-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:002011-03-04T08:30:32.074-08:00UnfairnessI got the inspiration to write this song from a good friend's journal entry. We cry and cry about things being unfair and life being unfair. Truth is we should be THANKFUL for unfairness! If things were fair then Jesus would not have taken our place on the Cross. There was absolutely nothing fair about that! So maybe when we are tempted to say life isn't fair or a situation isn't fair we should think of Christ and his sacrifice for us. For if things were fair we would not be here. Be thankful for unfairness. <br /><br />Unfairness<br /><br />Your love it rescues<br />You reached down<br />And lifted us from the fall<br />And all humanity came to life<br /><br />With the Cross<br />You reached down<br />And picked us up from the fall<br />What was fair about <br />The sacrifice of Innocence?<br />God showed unfairness to One<br />To show mercy to all<br />Love is unfair <br />But Love gave up Himself<br />To rescue us from desperation<br /><br />Your love it beckons <br />You call to us <br />And make us Sons of God<br />Our hearts are alive <br /><br />With the Cross<br />You reached down<br />And picked us up from the fall<br />What was fair about <br />The sacrifice of Innocence?<br />God showed unfairness to One<br />To show mercy to all<br />Love is unfair <br />But Love gave up Himself<br />To rescue us from desperation<br /><br />No greater act of kindness exists<br />Your mercy is unending, forever matchless<br />You are forever matchless!<br />Your love is fulfilling, forever matchless<br />You are forever matchless!<br />Forever matchless! <br /><br />Words by Jonathan AndersonJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-89232567543000408282011-01-06T18:00:00.000-08:002011-01-07T09:12:43.161-08:00Glorious Illumination or (Glory Revealed)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHIO9-nNDmbU8SGV_6-v_vByMOEH7mqllpYX40N2tHANJYf7yuHnC9d4SkiYFpsjp5UvDpu1fCjPCY0mOa1dQk37SajanZwMLBRwImzraChhk51_UmroIxj1zfYq_A3kYkkAjIO5vaLcF/s1600/Epiphany.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHIO9-nNDmbU8SGV_6-v_vByMOEH7mqllpYX40N2tHANJYf7yuHnC9d4SkiYFpsjp5UvDpu1fCjPCY0mOa1dQk37SajanZwMLBRwImzraChhk51_UmroIxj1zfYq_A3kYkkAjIO5vaLcF/s320/Epiphany.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559258817271507778" /></a><br /><br /><br />O God, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know thee now by faith, to thy presence, where we may behold thy glory face to face; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.<br /> <br />Today marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Epiphany or if you are of the Eastern churches, Theophany. <br /> <br />Epiphany can incorporate a lot of different meanings according to which denomination is celebrating it, but the celebration usually marks the manifestation of Christ to the Gentile through the Magi. It is also a celebration of Christ's Baptism into the Jordan River revealing to all that He is the Son of God. Theophany basically means "appearance of God". This is also a remembering of the Marriage Celebration of Cana where our Lord revealed Himself by His first miracle. <br /> <br />Either way you look at it this liturgical season celebrates the Divinity of Christ and His being revealed as the Son of God. <br /> <br />I want to start with this verse taken from Zechariah 2:13, "Be silent, all people, before the Lord; for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."<br /> <br />Now, that verse is not in context at this moment, nor do I plan to use it in context of Zechariah. <br /> <br />I want to paint a picture with this verse in light of Epiphany. <br /> <br />In the revealing of Christ as the Son of God it is in that moment that Christ's Divinity came to be known to us and quite possibly to Him also. But God had been roused from His holy dwelling with the angels and archangels. <br /> <br />The Gospel accounts of Christ's Baptism are quite amazing. Matthew 3:13-17 reads, " Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’" <br /> <br />I like Saint Luke's accounts reads, "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’<br /> <br />These verses in both accounts are climatic! They are HUGE! The story is EPIC!<br /> <br />These accounts show us two things: 1) The revealing of Jesus Christ our Lord as the Son of God and 2) The mystery of the Trinitarian Faith, which we profess. <br /> <br />We see here the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at one moment. <br /> <br />Glory has been revealed!<br /> <br />Isaiah writes: "<br />The voice of one crying in the wilderness: '<br />Prepare the way of the Lord; m<br />ake His paths straight. <br />Every valley shall be filled. <br />And every mountain and hill brought low; t<br />he crooked places shall be made straight a<br />nd the rough ways smooth; a<br />nd all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"<br /> <br /> <br />John the Baptizer had prepared the way for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ before He came seeking to be baptized. <br /> <br />In the moment of His baptism and rising from the Blessed Waters of the Jordan the glory of Christ was revealed and all people were shown the salvation of God. <br /> <br />The Orthodox have a troparion that they sing to capture this phenomenon that I think is incredibly beautiful:<br /> <br />When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan <br />The worship of the Trinity was made manifest,<br />For the voice of the Father bore witness to You <br />And called You His beloved Son, <br />While the Spirit, in the form of a dove, <br />Confirmed the truthfulness of His word. <br />O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself <br />And have enlightened the world, glory to You!<br /> <br /> <br />By the act of His Baptism the Lord illuminated with Great Light what was dark! <br /> <br />Glorious Illumination! <br /> <br />And perhaps, there is a connection between our Lord's Baptism and our very own. He did not institute the sacrament of Baptism for no reason nor did He experience that sacrament for no reason (those who argue Baptism is not essential think about that, if our Lord Himself was baptized then we ought to follow Him)! <br /> <br />For me this Epiphany season is about a time of remembering not only the illumination of darkness, but a time of healing. <br /> <br />For it is by Christ's Baptism that healing was brought forth. It was in His revelation as the Son of God that darkness was turned into Light and that what was broken was made right. <br /> <br />Maybe there is more to Baptism then we often comprehend. It surely is more then just a symbolic act. There is power in this sacrament. <br /> <br />Remember that a sacrament is the outward and visible sign of a inward and and spiritual grace. <br /> <br />In that moment we go under we were lost, blind, deaf, and broken. <br /> <br />But we rise to newness of life, to healing, to grace, to Light! <br /> <br />Jesus said, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them."<br /> <br />There is healing behind the season of Epiphany as we celebrate the manifestation of God's glory in His Son Jesus Christ revealed to us during His Baptism. <br /> <br />The Orthodox have this beautifully written prayer: <br /> <br />"Incline your ear and hear us, Lord, who accepted to be baptized in Jordan and to sanctify the waters, and bless us all, who signify our calling as servants by the bending of our necks. And count us worthy to be filled with your sanctification through the partaking and sprinkling of this water. And let it be for us, Lord, for healing of soul and body.<br /> <br />For you are the sanctification of our souls and bodies, and to you we give glory, thanksgiving and worship, with your Father who is without beginning, and your All-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages." <br /> <br />It is through the obedience of being baptized that we arise to new life in the Spirit! We arise to start what our Orthodox brothers and sisters call Deification or Theosis. <br /> <br />Θέωσις (meaning divinization, deification, or making divine, deificatio or divinizatio in Latin) is the process of transformation of a believer who is putting into practice the spiritual teachings of Jesus Christ and His gospel. I believe this to be the absolute crux of the Christian Faith. <br /> <br />I believe that if we aren't being conformed to the Image of Christ then why are doing this? <br /> <br />Lancelot Andrews said, "Whereby, as before He of ours, so now we of His are made partakers. He clothed with our flesh, and we invested with His Spirit. The great promise of the Old Testament accomplished, that He should partake our human nature; and the great and precious promise of the New, that we should be 'consortes divinae naturae', 'partake his divine nature,' both are this day accomplished."<br /> <br />Saint Peter sums it up eloquently:<br /> <br />"His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins."<br /> <br />Let us in this time of feasting and celebration of the Epiphany and the Glorious Illumination not forget the cleansing of our past sins made possible by our obedience to Baptism REVEALED to us through Christ's ordaining the Sacramental act of Baptism through His own Baptism. <br /> <br />The writers of Hebrew wrote, "Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." <br /> <br />We have been washed clean. <br /> <br />Glorious illumination has brightened our darkness.<br /> <br />Healing has been brought to us through Christ. <br /> <br />Grace has been bestowed. <br /> <br />Let us not forget the day of our own Baptism as we celebrate the day our Lord was baptized.<br /> <br />Let us not forget that God's countenance was shown upon us that day in the Jordan.<br /> <br />Let us not forget that He came, was baptized, and revealed Himself.<br /> <br />Let us not forget that He showed us Light through His baptism and called us to be Baptized in the +++ Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. <br /> <br />Let us not forget that our Baptism sparked new life in us, giving us the Spirit. <br /> <br />Let us not forget that we are to be made clean daily. We are to become more like Christ everyday. Our baptism started the process that the Holy Spirit now continues. <br /> <br /> <br />I am aiming to say that by Christ's Baptism Heaven opened up and the Spirit descended upon Him and His Father was pleased. We see Christ's divinity revealed. So perhaps in our own Baptism we see our divinity revealed because the Spirit comes and allows us to take on the nature of the Divine, Jesus Christ. Saint Peter did not say what he did for no reason. In Christ's Baptism He took on His divine nature, and in ours we did the same thing. Becoming united with Christ through the Spirit. <br /> <br />Remember this season to always set aside the flesh and continue to walk in the Divine as we remember the Baptism of our Lord. <br /> <br />Always remember! <br /> <br />Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan didst proclaim him thy beloved Son and anoint 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 thee and the same Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, in glory everlasting. <br /><br /> <br />Amen.<br /> <br /> <br />Pax Domini sit semper vobiscumJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-77714842095137376242011-01-05T19:11:00.000-08:002011-01-05T19:13:12.373-08:00The Authenticity of Christianity Versus Other Religions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetrTEL91Ux56G7rfSBnO74GrhQXIhMdcjqKg29rZ8AbDM7y8-8rgHZs9-cbyMTmEToFE021IVOoFKyvZDRu_Rfe1ocDD8a9HPeqsJ_zA1UrPIObiQr6bN_b47z3dFyozshIsAVG743cM6/s1600/Christ+the+Great+High+Priest.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 251px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetrTEL91Ux56G7rfSBnO74GrhQXIhMdcjqKg29rZ8AbDM7y8-8rgHZs9-cbyMTmEToFE021IVOoFKyvZDRu_Rfe1ocDD8a9HPeqsJ_zA1UrPIObiQr6bN_b47z3dFyozshIsAVG743cM6/s320/Christ+the+Great+High+Priest.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558905676582775122" /></a><br />A few nights ago in conversation with my good friend in the Faith, Matthew Jones, I sent him this link seeking to see what his opinion is on it:<br /> <br />http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/januaryweb-only/muslimsevangelical.html<br /> <br />Now, if you are not wanting to read that article, basically what it is about is Churches letting people of other religions use their buildings to worship in. One church allowed the local Islamic community to use their church to worship in. <br /> <br />He responded saying:<br /> <br />"Hmmm, interesting article. I'm a little torn on how I should feel about it. On the one hand I remember the example of JPII reaching out to other faiths (he himself kissing a Qur'an inside a mosque). On the other hand he made clear, as does the Catechism, that other faiths bare some universal truths but are errant and lack the fullness of faith as we believe was deposited by Christ to the Apostles and into the Church.<br /> <br />It's tricky, the RCC has a complex understanding of the discussion this type of article raises. To lifelong Muslims who have never known any better, it's basically looked at in the same way Native Americans are viewed pre-Columbus (meaning they had know way to be exposed to the Gospels). Where it's still believed Christ died for him as did he you or I, it's completely up to the mercy of God to determine their salvation either in their ignorance or rejection of his son." <br /> <br />I can't speak for those ministers allowing Muslims to worship in their church, but for Matthew and me our churches are consecrated to the Lord. Matthew is Catholic and I am an Anglican. We are both under the authority of bishops and archbishops and for Matt, the Pope. Our churches are ordained and consecrated to the SERVICE of the Lord Jesus Christ and no other deity! I would not, as a future priest one day Lord willing, be opening the doors to our church and the alter of the Lord Christ to pagan sacrifices. That is just unacceptable. <br /> <br />I am all for reaching out and not being rude and not being jerks to other religions, but how many of those religions would open doors to Christianity? And I wouldn't expect them to do so. But I for one would not be willing to let the consecrated church be used for worship of another deity that we know is a false god. <br /> <br />But it is important that I do not condemn those ministers. I admire they had the strength to do that. But I would not accept their actions for to me all is Sacramental in the church, but there are some who are not Sacramental Christians. <br /> <br />My good friend and fellow Anglican Isaac Rehberg commented on this note before I came back to add this about the non-Sacramental/Sacramental part. Isaac's explanation of this part is very thorough:<br /> <br />"I think one thing that may make a big difference on how a particular Christian tradition approaches this issue is whether its religious worldview is sacramental or not. For some (especially Catholics, Anglicans, and Orthodox), the sacramental mindset means that there are some items, places, etc. that literally become holy when they are consecrated. The altar is not just a table, it has been set apart for a particular religious purpose. The chalice is not just a cup, it has been set apart for a particular religious purpose. The church and its grounds is not just real estate, it is holy ground set aside for Christian worship. To misuse those consecrated things for other purposes would be sacrilege in the mind of the sacramental Christian.<br /> <br />To other Christian traditions, places, items, etc. cannot be intrinsically holy (with the possible exception of the Bible). A Church is only holy ground when it is used for holy purposes. The bread and wine used in the Lord's Supper are only holy when being used in the Lord's Supper. The same loaf of or same bottle of wine may theoretically be used for other things.<br /> <br />For the sacramental Christian, allowing other faiths to worship in their consecrated buildings would be a sacrilege. The nature of a consecrated church building eliminates the possibility of allowing its use for non-Christian worship. Shoot, for some sacramental Christians, other Christian denominations wouldn't even be welcome to borrow the church for a service. For the non-sacramental Christian, the issue wouldn't be so cut and dry. It would ultimately boil down to the pastors' discretion."<br /> <br />Isaac continued: "All that said, I don't think my conscience would allow me to permit other faiths to use my church for worship services. I'm by no means hostile to other faiths or their adherents. But I do see the church building as being consecrated for worship of the Triune God. If one cannot confess 'Jesus is Lord' in the service, it ought not be held in a consecrated Christian church."<br /> <br />I think Matthew and I would agree with what I had to say and Isaac's thoughts on that. He wrote, " I don't think a Muslim would ever be able to celebrate in a Catholic holy site. There's a difference between showing respect and goodwill towards another religion and actually endorsing it." <br /> <br />Agreed. <br /> <br />So he went on to say this:<br /> <br />"Jon, you also reminded me of a topic that I've been theorizing on myself here recently, if you care to share your thoughts. Basically, it's the question of how does a Christian articulate the certainty that Christianity is the truth faith vs. the other options: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, etc. What makes it more authentic when some of those religions predate it? I have my own theories but I'm curious what you think."<br /> <br />I went on to write a little bit about what I think we should do, but my reply is no where as thoughtful and expressive as Matt's laid out thorough theory. <br /> <br />I did say this:<br /> <br />"What makes us more authentic? I think history very fully validates Christ's existence, death, burial, and resurrection. No other religion has that. And history would also prove the Judaic side of our religion as well. It's validated through history if you ask me. And continues to strive and grew." <br /> <br />And here is Matt's concise, but extremely thorough reply: <br /> <br />"1.) In my own opinion, Christianity is the least most exclusive religion. By that I mean, in the very Gospels Christ compelled his Apostles to make disciples of all nations make them very aware that his message wasn't suppose to be reserved for 1 or 2 groups of people alone as some exclusive window to knowing the truth. So, from Christianity's infancy it was intended to reach all corners of the earth. When you compare this to say, Judaism, well the very name first of all centers around a certain group of people. There is also the aspect of other world faiths being almost entirely concentrated to certain geographic regions. For example, apart from a few African nations Islam is almost entirely concentrated in the Middle East. Hinduism belongs almost completely to India. Shintoism belongs almost exclusively to Japan. Buddhism to India and some east-Asian countries. You see where I'm going with this? Christianity is just the opposite. Especially when looking at the greater picture. The RCC has literally a diocese for every scrap of land that maps this planet. The Eastern Orthodox Church spans a huge swath of the world's landmass in Russia and all it's satellite nations. The Protestant Churches are spread throughout Europe and the New World. However, the point is all the churches are intimately tied to a belief in Jesus as the Messiah and we literally wrap the globe (being the largest religion still as you yourself mentioned.) We're made up of every race, social class, and ethnic background.<br /> <br />2.) Fr. Barron raised an interesting aspect about the faith to my attention in one of his videos too. Christ, like no other religious founder, compels a choice. All other religious/philosophical founders present a teaching their trying to promote: Muhammad, Confucius, the Buddha, etc. However, none make the claim that Christ did in that he was literally God manifested in the flesh. This begs the question: 'If what he's claiming is right, than we have to believe in him...because is he not God?' No other religious founder puts forth this claim and presents us that choice. This also makes the case for Christianity that it is the most seemingly revealing religion, at least that being it's intent, because God himself walked among us and spoke to the first members of his Church and how to guide it.<br /> <br />3.) If you examine what Christianity has achieved apart from all it's evangelical aims, it's accomplishments are incredibly significant. The Church, for one, helped Western Society hold together after the Roman Empire fell apart. The RCC was the first to introduce universities, developed the scientific method, and educates more children than any other institution in the world (private schools and universities all inclusive). That doesn't even include all the other Christian churches with that, with untold thousands of orphanages, hospitals opened, food banks, schools, etc. <br /> <br />So the point is, one can make an interesting case to support the claim that Christ has a hand in literally ever facet of life. Based upon our size, our appeal, our charitable aims, all of it...He is revealed. <br /> <br />Again, these are just some of my thoughts but conclusions I drew based upon some independent research and observation. I'm aware people of other faiths could offer their own opinions on why 'they got it right' but nonetheless I think we have a strong case :)"<br /> <br />I believe Matt's response to be a very intelligent, short case for the authenticity of our Faith over the other religions of the world. I enjoy talking with Matt on these things because he knows history quite well.<br /> <br />One thing for sure is Christ is Lord and we all, least some, claim to profess that! I agree with Matt that we have a pretty strong case for that and the Church.<br /> <br />There will always be those who seek to destroy the Church and to destroy Christ's message. Christ told St. Peter that He would build His Holy Bride the Church and that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against Her. I think we can rest assured in that promise.<br /> <br />Christ our High Priest shall continue to lead and guide us, protect and guard us! <br /> <br />Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. <br /> <br />Amen.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-19782119422265097652010-12-28T23:30:00.000-08:002011-01-18T12:52:33.237-08:00A Season of Rebirth, Renewal, and Peace or (The Meaning of the Nativity and Christmas to a Young Episcopalian)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpDoyYnG8doqOAFxpuWxQb4Ovb4a2-6-QK9adxxm_GUZSkNtWNktkyTQNV8kHFLvjS2K9OrCcK_L-NvDMldZvC_-a2-xyS5nBnqV9mApRxmVpIfi-eH_VVgarW636Rp9se1ihK662AioY/s1600/130_1523.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpDoyYnG8doqOAFxpuWxQb4Ovb4a2-6-QK9adxxm_GUZSkNtWNktkyTQNV8kHFLvjS2K9OrCcK_L-NvDMldZvC_-a2-xyS5nBnqV9mApRxmVpIfi-eH_VVgarW636Rp9se1ihK662AioY/s320/130_1523.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563631690282418034" /></a><br />Almighty God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word: Grant that the same light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. <br /> <br />The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ wasn't just a physical visitation. It was a spiritual coming of Majesty. With the Incarnation and Nativity God's Light was shone. His Light was shone on dark hearts. It was necessary for darkness to dwell in our hearts so God's Light could find a dwelling to rest, shining forth Light on our entire beings. Remember, our hearts, in Hebraic poetry is our ENTIRE being, not our physical hearts. <br /> <br />And not only was that Light to shine forth in our entire lives, it shines forth FROM our lives. <br /> <br />Our light is ignited by THE Light! <br /> <br />Paul encourages his partner in the Faith, Titus, in chapter 2, verses 1-14, " For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds" (Emphasis mine). <br /> <br />This season to me is a time about births, our Savior's own humble birth and the humble birth and re-birth we experience as His followers through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. <br /> <br />Notice that Salvation came to bring about TRAINING! <br /> <br />That means it is a on-going process. Salvation, rebirth, and renewal on on-going and continuing throughout the entirety of our Christian journey. The Spirit's training brings about the piety that God desires of His followers. <br /> <br />The Light is manifested within us already. Shining through all the darkest depths of our hearts to change and develop them into areas illuminated by the strength of Salvation and the Light of Love <br /> <br />This is all taking place because in this season we celebrate the time of our Savior's birth. <br /> <br />Without the grand design of God's plan of salvation we would still be in wondering darkness filled with impiety and sin. <br /> <br />But God's manifestation has come! <br /> <br />Our Light has been born! <br /> <br />Our hearts have illuminated! <br /> <br />God is purifying us in this time of renewal and rebirth to be His people, a people ZEALOUS for good works! <br /> <br />You know what I notice about that last verse in Titus? <br /> <br />The word people! <br /> <br />A PEOPLE! <br /> <br />We are God's chosen. We are in community! <br /> <br />At Ascension's Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist, we had candles at the end of the service that we all held. We started singing "Silent Night" and the usher walked down the nave's main aisle and lite the person's candle on the end who in turn would light the candle of the person on their right. <br /> <br />I find it a funny coincidence that those verses in Titus were also read for the public reading of Scripture for this service this night. <br /> <br />We were there to celebrate the coming of Light to darkness. <br /> <br />All the while it never hit me how powerful the image of our lighting each other's candles were! <br /> <br />What a powerfully strong physical metaphor and reminder of what God's Light does in our own lives. <br /> <br />Our lives have been taken from darkness into Light. God has walked down the aisle of our hearts and ignited our candles! <br /> <br />What are we to do in turn? <br /> <br />We are to turn to our neighbors and light theirs. We are A PEOPLE, COMMUNITY!<br /> <br />Jesus commanded us, "Be a light to the world" (paraphrase). <br /> <br />He also told us that we would do greater things then He! Why? Because we have the strength and promise of the Holy Spirit. <br /> <br />We are to, by the guidance of the Spirit and through prayer, go forth and light the candles that lay in darkness in the hearts of the world bringing the Peace of Heaven to those in the dark. <br /> <br />We have been touched by Peace in Christ's birth. Our candles have been lite. <br /> <br />That Peace came into our hearts to bring serenity and salvation, truth and strength, and piety and righteousness. <br /> <br />We are to share this Peace, which by now you know IS Christ with the world. <br /> <br />Father Howard and Father Backus both spoke at the Christmas Eve Eucharist. They both made a point that this birth and renewal is accompanied with signs. That the narrative of the Advent and Christmas are filled with characters experiencing signs. <br /> <br />Father Howard made it strongly clear that those signs come from within community. <br /> <br />Community shining light on each other, lighting each other's candles. <br /> <br />Community going forth to the world to light candles that lay in darkness as our own once did. <br /> <br />Community being zealous for good deeds, social justice, peace, reconciliation, and love. <br /> <br />But the warning we must follow is to not get trapped into the mentality that it is our own essence or our own light that does this lighting of other's candles. <br /> <br />Our candles once laid in darkness too! <br /> <br />Our candles sometimes glow dimly! <br /> <br />The Light in our candles is the Light of Christ shining forth from the time of the Nativity. <br /> <br />I like Saint John's writing in I John 4:7-15 because it is a fitting passage for this time of rebirth and lighting of candles in darkness: <br /> <br />"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God" (ESV, emphasis mine). <br /> <br />We are to be MANIFESTATIONS OF LIGHT for a world laying in the dark as the Love and Light of God was made manifest among us. <br /> <br />This song by Chris Rice, "Go Light Your World", is a fitting example of what this time in the liturgical calender and Church year is about: <br /> <br />Go Light Your World<br />There is a candle in every soul<br />Some brightly burning, some dark and cold<br />There is a spirit who brings a fire<br />Ignites a candle, and makes his home<br /> <br />Carry your candle<br />Run to the darkness<br />Seek out the helpless, confused and torn<br />And hold out your candle<br />For all to see it<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br /> <br />Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to<br />Light his own candle some other way<br />See now your sister she's been robbed and lied to<br />Still holds a candle, without a flame<br /> <br />Carry your candle<br />Run to the darkness<br />Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn<br />And hold out your candle<br />For all to see it<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br /> <br />Cause we are a family <br />Whose hearts are blazing<br />So lets raise our candles and light up the sky<br />Prayin to our Father in the name of Jesus<br />Make us a beacon in darkest times<br /> <br />Carry your candle<br />Run to the darkness<br />Seek out the hopeless, deceived and<br />Hold out your candle<br />For all to see it<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br /> <br />Hold our your candle <br />For all to see it<br />Take out your candle and go light your world<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br />Take your candle and go light your world<br /> <br />By Chris Rice<br /> <br />To drive the point further, David Crowder proclaims in SMS (Shine), "Shine your light so all can see it. Lift it up cause the whole world needs it. Love has come, what joy to hear it! He has overcome, he has overcome!" <br /> <br />With Christ light we CAN and SHALL overcome our own darkness and that of the world. <br /> <br />O God, who didst wonderfully create, and yet more wonderfully restore, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. <br /> <br />Amen.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-21127062204959235202010-12-11T21:57:00.001-08:002010-12-12T19:12:17.811-08:00Let Us Lift Up Our Hearts Unto the Father or (The Sursum Corda)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwJFUDP4TyX9XDKcmQa1WLJRo4KTpCjimNjLcGbniqpt9wOofJfVRYNC4uHhWUgW6ppLkPUZH56V63x2i9ty_E1gGt2hH7zgHJKQ94qYVd6CTaWSc850JA9GWKTcuDLX8caSfQkyC7Kwx/s1600/praise.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwJFUDP4TyX9XDKcmQa1WLJRo4KTpCjimNjLcGbniqpt9wOofJfVRYNC4uHhWUgW6ppLkPUZH56V63x2i9ty_E1gGt2hH7zgHJKQ94qYVd6CTaWSc850JA9GWKTcuDLX8caSfQkyC7Kwx/s320/praise.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549944034830183426" /></a><br />Psalm 134 (A Song of Ascents)<br /> <br />"Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord. May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion." <br /> <br />A Song of Ascents is a sacred song, or a sacred hymn. Fifteen of the Psalms are given the title "A Song of Ascents". I particular want to focus on Psalm 134, which is one of those fifteen. And further more I want to focus on the verse two of Psalm 134, "Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord". <br /> <br />In The Great Thanksgiving, which is the Eucharistic Prayer, or Anaphora ("Anaphora" is a Greek word "ἀναφορά" meaning a "carrying back" hence its meaning in rhetoric and linguistics or a "carrying up", and so an "offering" hence its use in reference to the offering of sacrifice to God), for those of us in liturgical traditions begins with this responsive reading called Sursum Corda started by the Celebrant: <br /> <br />Celebrant: The Lord be with you.<br />People: And also with you.<br />Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.<br />People: We lift them to the Lord.<br />Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.<br />People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.<br /> <br />I have a good friend named Zack that attends St. James Episcopal Church here in Knoxville, which is where Courtney and I attend Wednesday night Holy Eucharist/Healing. Zack is a very very reverent young man. I admire his reverence and view it as a role model for my own; He has been an influence for my spiritual life. One night while reading the liturgy I just posted above I noticed Zack lifted his hands towards the heavens while saying responsively, "We lift them to the Lord." <br /> <br />That has really been something on my mind here lately coupled with the Song of Ascents found in Psalm 134. <br /> <br />Lift your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!<br /> <br />Could there be a connection between that sign of reverence and the command to lift our hands to the holy place and bless Yahweh? <br /> <br />I believe there is a connection....................................THE HEART! <br /> <br />The heart is the bridge to those two. Because the Celebrant instructs lift your hearts to the Lord and we respond saying, "We lift them to the Lord." <br /> <br />Now, we cannot actually lift our physical hearts in our hands to the Lord, nor is that what the author of Psalm 134 and of The Great Thanksgiving meant. <br /> <br />The heart is so much more then what we here in Western culture give it credit for. The heart to the Ancient Hebrews was the center of one's ENTIRE being. All emotions, feelings, and thoughts originated not with the mind as they do with us in the West, but in the heart. <br /> <br />One author put it this way: "The heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. 'Heart' and 'soul' are often used interchangeably (Deu 6:5; Deu 26:16; compare Mat 22:37; Mar 12:30, Mar 12:33)". <br /> <br />Jeff Benner said it this way: "We often associate the heart with emotions such as love and kindness as in 'He has a good heart'. This is also true with the Hebrews who saw the heart as the seat of emotion. But unlike us they also saw the heart as the seat of thought whereas we see the brain as the seat of thought. To the ancient Hebrews the heart was the mind including all thoughts including emotions. When we are told to love God with all our heart (Deut 6:5) it is not speaking of an emotional love but to keep our emotions and all our thoughts working for him". <br /> <br />Even more ironic is that our very theme this year on Johnson Bible College's campus is Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (They actually have the NIV verse, but I prefer the NRSV for the wording, and that I hate the NIV). <br /> <br />Keep your heart with vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. <br /> <br />There is something more to the heart that we tend to overlook. <br /> <br />This begins to paint a very beautifully poetic portrait of worship. <br /> <br />If we are lifting our hearts to the Lord then we are in essence lifting ALL of ourselves in honor to the King. <br /> <br />We are lifting our hearts, our entire being, our essence, our all to Jesus Christ. <br /> <br />If we are lifting ALL of our being, that which is our hearts, then we are lifting ALL that comes with our hearts: fear, dread, worry, anger, frustration, lust, bitterness, burdens, joys, strengths, loves, hopes, passions, and goodness. <br /> <br />For it is in worship that we can lift our hearts and worship our Lord. <br /> <br />For it is in worship that we can lift our hearts with all the weaknesses that are causing them to rupture at the seams and be strengthened by Jesus' presence in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. And we exalt God with the goodness that our hearts may contain having them strengthened by His presence and accepted as gifts of spiritual worship. <br /> <br />Lifting our hands while reciting the "Lift your hearts. We lift them to the Lord," is such a strong symbolic and reverent sign of worship. <br /> <br />There is such beautiful imagery there; think about it. <br /> <br />In lifting our hands and hearts to the King of Kings in the prayer beginning Holy Eucharist we also acknowledge that the Sacrament's contain Jesus Christ's own presence. So in lifting our hands and hearts in worship Jesus' presence comes down to dwell with us in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. <br /> <br />He meets us there in our worship and surrender! Our depravity collides with His divinity, as David Crowder would say. <br /> <br />We exchange the burdens of our hearts in our spiritual act of worship for the Grace of His Blessed Heart. <br /> <br />I do not know about you, but that is some POWERFUL imagery. <br /> <br />And that's what makes the Anaphora such a powerful part of the Holy Eucharist. Because Anaphora as we discussed meant "carrying up" or "offering". We are offering our hearts, our ENTIRE being as an offering unto the Lord. <br /> <br />Last night in a meeting for our weekend of prayer here at JBC, Lauren Mills read John 4:23-24, "'But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’" <br /> <br />Lifting our hearts and hands to the Holy Place, lifting them to the Lord, is our participating in worshiping of the Father in Spirit and in Truth. <br /> <br />Lifting our hearts to the Lord in spiritual worship is what the Father desires from us. And this is not without a promise: <br /> <br />"Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water," urges the writer of Hebrews. <br /> <br />And even Psalm 134 has a two-way street with it. The Psalm says to bless the Lord that God may bless us out of Zion. <br /> <br />So therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, our Father beckons us to come forth lifting our hands in symbolic gesture of lifting our hearts, our all, our entire being, giving it ALL to Him.<br /> <br />In your worship, in your prayers, and in partaking of the Holy Eucharist, I urge you to pause and remember that we lift our hearts in worship of our Father.<br /> <br />Give the Father ALL you have.<br /> <br />WORSHIP!<br /> <br />SURRENDER!<br /> <br />COLLIDE!<br /> <br />BE CONSUMED!<br /> <br />MEET THE LORD THERE IN YOUR WORSHIP!<br /> <br />LIFT YOUR HEARTS UNTO TO THE LORD!<br /> <br />"Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven." -Lamentations 3:41<br /> <br /> <br />Amen.<br /> <br />Ἄνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίαςJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-37712503171741150252010-12-02T22:19:00.001-08:002011-11-27T14:27:57.106-08:00Behold the Lamb of God or (The Advent of Love)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfnJu4xytHq8PbXXN7kD1-BuB1c30EhpCbE2BCXzAyU9hG2UXcDaw28Y9Sa5t4xwpouTCuuB49eg12WwGlbWmcJoF9nr_9ctSaU-y1Pk7O4aQZ9gKE8WZhR6OR1C7fTLOXc0Do_YE4ndV/s1600/OL_New_advent.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfnJu4xytHq8PbXXN7kD1-BuB1c30EhpCbE2BCXzAyU9hG2UXcDaw28Y9Sa5t4xwpouTCuuB49eg12WwGlbWmcJoF9nr_9ctSaU-y1Pk7O4aQZ9gKE8WZhR6OR1C7fTLOXc0Do_YE4ndV/s320/OL_New_advent.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563632165448545122" /></a><br />"We stand at the head of the Christian year. I am not sure that there is anything quite like it in the world; this composite of sanctities, this interweaving of story and prayer, of song and color, by which Christ is portrayed and brought before us. It is a solemn pageantry which effects association with him whose life is being traced."--Miles Lowell Yates<br /> <br />"We stand at the head of the Christian year. I am not sure that there is anything quite like it in the world; this composite of sanctities, this interweaving of story and prayer, of song and color, by which Christ is portrayed and brought before us. It is a solemn pageantry which effects association with him whose life is being traced."--Miles Lowell Yates<br /> <br /> <br />We have entered upon a very special and indeed a very magnificent part of the Church calendar. We have entered into the season of Advent. The season of the Church calendar that we take time to remember our Lord's coming as a baby and to dwell upon what that means. And Mr. Yates description paints a beautiful portrait of the meaning behind Advent.<br /> <br /> <br />Over a year ago I joined a liturgical church community that practices the ancient Church calendar and the seasons therein, so I am still getting myself familiar with the reflections of Christ's own life that the liturgical calendar presents. But Advent has always been a very special time of the year for me.<br /> <br /> <br />Oddly enough I am reminded of Exodus 12 in this Season of Advent. The Passover. I'm sure we all know the story quite well. Yahweh has sent plague after plague upon Egypt, but the Pharaoh would not soften his own heart. So God is going to send the Angel of Death to destroy the first born in all the land. He instructs his people to take the blood of a lamb and put it over their doors and that death will pass right over.<br /> <br /> <br />Andrew Peterson sings it like this in his beautiful song, Passover Us:<br />"But the Lord, He gave to Moses a word for the people. He said their firstborn sons could live to see another day 'Put the blood of a lamb on the doorway and death will pass right over.' That night all of the children of Israel prayed,<br />'Lord, let your judgment passover us. Lord, let your love hover near. Don't let your sweet mercy pass over us. Let this blood cover over us here'"<br /> <br /> <br />How does Passover have something to do with Advent? Death is a result of the Fall. Even though the first born sons of Israel escaped Death that night they would eventually go on to die. Our sins were more numerous than all the lambs we could slay. That's the consequence of sin, death. Eternal separation from God because of our guilt and sin.<br /> <br /> <br />Our sin was so great that animal sacrifices and the blood of animals would not satisfy the holy wrath of God. His judgment was still needing justification. The Advent is the Great High Priest, God the Father, Himself, placing upon the Holy Altar the Body of a Spotless Lamb, Christ His own Son. He chose His very own son as the Perfect Sacrifice to bear the sins of the world and to remove them.<br /> <br /> <br />And how even more poetic that Christ's blood destroyed death! Death has passed over us. We are no longer held by it's power. We are no longer held by the power of sin.<br /> <br /> <br />And what is extremely poetic is that in Exodus God required the blood of a lamb to be spread on the doorway in order for the first born son to be spared, but in the Advent He sent His Firstborn of All Creation to be that very Spotless Lamb. Christ's blood has been poured out for us.<br /> <br /> <br />The Advent is about God placing upon the Holy Altar His own Son in order that death and sin may be eternally defeated. The Advent is about the very love of God, the fullness of God coming to earth as a man.<br /> <br /> <br />Think about that for a moment. How vulnerable God made Himself. He made Himself a man. He submitted Himself to human care and nurturing. He submitted Himself to the feeding of Mary's breast, the nurture of her precious motherly love, and the care of her heart. God made Himself dependent upon a human being for survival and care and love.<br />Does that not make a tingle go up your spine and draw a tear to your eye? That the Creator of All would subject Himself to such vulnerability? What a beautiful picture of the Advent of Love.<br /> <br /> <br />Love has indeed come. Love's Advent was fulfilled in the Coming of Christ. The Lamb's Blood has been put upon the doorways of the world and each of our hearts. Death has been defeated. Sin has been crushed. The Father's wrath was satisfied.<br /> <br /> <br />In this season of Advent be grateful for the coming of Love. Reflect upon the Coming of Christ to be a sacrifice for our atonement. I want to share with you four prayers, one each for the four weeks of Advent. These prayers are found in The Book of Common Prayer. Pray them on Sunday and reflect upon the Advent.<br /> <br /> <br />First Sunday of Advent<br />Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.<br /> <br /> <br />Second Sunday of Advent<br />Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.<br /> <br /> <br />Third Sunday of Advent<br />Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.<br /> <br /> <br />Fourth Sunday of Advent<br />Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.<br /> <br /> <br />I wanted to share with you these thoughts on Advent. I hope that you have a great time in remembering this special time of the Church year while having a great expectation of the Second Advent, which is has yet to happen.<br /> <br /> <br />I'll leave you with this quote by Edward Hays: "Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place."<br /> <br /> <br />Behold the Lamb of God who comes to take away our sin! Come Lord Jesus, Ancient and Strong, gather us beneath Your wing tonight. Amen.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-83130479585211803132010-10-31T22:01:00.001-07:002010-10-31T22:01:42.647-07:00Goodmorning, You Will Find LoveFor almost 3 years I was single.....<br /> <br />Very lonely time in my life indeed. During that season of singleness I discovered a song called Goodmorning by the wonderful William Fitzsimmons. The song is very simple: <br /> <br />"Moonlight will fall, winter will end. <br />Harvest will come, your heart will mend.<br />Goodmorning, you will find love." <br /> <br />Simple yet extremely encouraging to a young man on the lookout for love. <br /> <br />This evening the morning broke through the dawn and the sun shined brightly. Harvest came in bountifully.<br /> <br />It was a harvest of love. <br /> <br />Moonlight had fallen and the winter had ended. The heart had been mended. <br /> <br />The heart had been granted a desire placed there by the Craftsman Himself. <br /> <br />My heart had found love.....<br /> <br />I have known Courtney Howard since I have been a Johnson Bible College. In September of 2009 I was walking across the campus in front of the P-dub and she was coming out of the PW Building. It was the first time we met. I, like I always do, had my iconic headphones on and was rocking to some lovely Brett Dennen. I told her kindly that she should listen to him and that it was nice meeting her. <br /> <br />Fast forward to December and January and that is when she and I began to chat on facebook a lot more and began getting to know one another. Then in early February we went on our first date to see When In Rome. <br /> <br />A relationship was in the beginning stages :) <br /> <br />I want bore you with every detail between that first date in February and tonight, but I must say that the road has been interesting, amazing, and just a blessing to my life. <br /> <br />I decided I wanted to ask her parents for her hand in marriage about 3 weeks ago after I had purchased the ring the previous week. So I drove up to ask their permission and their blessing to which they said yes. Thankfully, and I'm eternally grateful for their response and their trust in me to take care of and provide for their daughter. They will not regret it. :) <br /> <br />So I finally got all that done. So all that was left was to figure out how. <br /> <br />It finally hit me to ask Courtney on her Confirmation day. We are Anglicans. And in the Anglican Communion we have Confirmation into the Church. She was getting confirmed on Halloween, which happens to be one of our favorite holidays. <br /> <br />So I had also ordered this stuffed Cookie Monster that I wanted to incorporate into my proposal because she and I both love him and Sesame Street. Plus, she is a teacher so it works well. <br /> <br />Thanks to one of my best friends, Mike B., I got the idea to cut a whole in the Cookie Monster and sew the ring to a tiny heart from Build-a-Bear. Well, I went to Build-a-Bear to see about this, and they recommended I just buy a little stuffed heart with the words 'i love you' on the front and on the back a velcro pouch to hide the ring. The heart then would wrap around little Cookie Monsters arms to make it look like he was holding it. <br /> <br />The other part of the plan was to ask her to go on a date to Cades Cove after her Confirmation because she and I had been wanting to go for some time. <br /> <br />So the plan was in place. I did that. Now, all there was left to do was wait for Halloween to get here. <br /> <br />So today finally got here. We got to Cades Cove and got about half way through the park when we took the road to go to Abrams Falls. <br /> <br />We got out and I got my book bag out and told her I have my surprise gift for her Confirmation in it and that I want to give it to her. <br /> <br />So we walked over this bridge to the other side of the river where there were some places to sit along the waters edge. <br /> <br />It was so serene. So tranquil. So peaceful. <br /> <br />The perfect spot had come to me without even trying to find one. <br /> <br />So I told her to turn her head that I wanted to give her the gift. <br /> <br />I pulled Cookie Monster out of my bookbag and held it in my arms and told her to turn around. <br /> <br />She was so excited. She loved it. She thought that was all there was. <br /> <br />Now, last night I had texted her pretending to be Cookie Monster. Cookie Monster told her he couldn't wait to see her on Sunday because he had a surprise. She had no idea why I was acting so goofy. <br /> <br />So after she held Cookie Monster for awhile. I told her to check the back of the heart for a cookie. That he had a gift in there for her.<br /> <br />She opened and saw the ring inside the pouch on the back of the heart. She turned to me and said, "Jon, do you have something you want to ask me." <br /> <br />I took the ring from her hand and said, "Yes, I do." <br /> <br />I was very very nervous even though I knew she was going to say yes. <br /> <br />I asked her if she wanted to stand up while I knelt down, but said never mind that I am just going to kneel while she is sitting down. Again, I was quite nervous. <br /> <br />I looked at her while kneeling and asked, "Courtney, will you marry me?" <br /> <br />She said, "Yes!" <br /> <br />I was shaking pretty badly because of the nerves so I put the ring on and said, "Shoot, if I can get it on because I'm shaking so badly, but I hope it fits."<br /> <br />It fortunately did fit. <br /> <br />Perfectly. <br /> <br />So that is the story of our proposal. I'm sure Courtney will blog about it from her perspective, least I hope. <br /> <br />I am head-over-heels in love with this lady. From the bottom of my heart I would do anything for her. <br /> <br />She demonstrates to me everyday a Christ-like love that is so strong that it forces me to examine my own love and if it measures up to that of Christ's. <br /> <br />Courtney came into my life at a time when I was just pass a depressing stage. I was frustrated with the Church and with all humanity. <br /> <br />She restored my faith in them. <br /> <br />I am forever grateful for her healing hands in my life. <br /> <br />She is a wonderfully warm, sweet, and loving person. <br /> <br />As a future priest I never have to look far away to know what a Christ-like love looks like. <br /> <br />William Fitzsimmons says, "Love is wonderfully fragile and yet exceedingly weighty thing. And although we must carry the hurt we cause another, we are likewise able to always retain the love that is given to us and the love that we unreservedly give away." <br /> <br />Wow, that is simply so poetic. <br /> <br />There will be times when we hurt one another in our marriage. There will be times when things go badly, but......<br /> <br />There will be times when we retain all that love we share. We will retain all the love that has enveloped for Christ is the umbrella around us. <br /> <br />He is the Foundation upon which we have constructed our relationship. <br /> <br />The Holy Word tells us, "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."<br /> <br />We take that literally. Without Him our marriage and relationship will not hold together. That is our theme for this relationship. <br /> <br />Our love can last if we only let it grow...<br /> <br />So often we do things do hinder love. <br /> <br />But when your love is grounded in Him who holds ALL things together then you can expect that love to grow and flourish. <br /> <br />So yes, love is a wonderfully fragile yet exceedingly weighty thing, but.....<br /> <br />Courtney and I have decided to bear the weight beneath the guidance and foundation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. <br /> <br />I've never been more happy be weighed down. <br /> <br />I love you Courtney Howard. I look forward to bearing that weight and sharing in all that comes with it: pain, trial, hardship, joy, laughter, and blessings. <br /> <br />I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else, my love. <br /> <br />I love you,<br />JonathanJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-33707593545448653162010-09-29T21:43:00.000-07:002011-01-23T21:49:17.211-08:00Reflections on The Anglican Communion or (Why I Joined the Anglican Communion)Blessed by God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.<br /> <br />Tonight I was confirmed into the Holy Anglican Communion, known to some as the Church of England or the Episcopal Church here in the U.S. I reaffirmed my Baptismal Covenant before the witnesses of my Ascension family and God. I reaffirmed my renunciation of evil and renewed my commitment to Jesus Christ and with His grace I will follow Christ as my Savior and Lord. <br /> <br />The vow to me is a very serious thing. In a society where we tend to neglect the spoken word and not honor our vows I have come to take words very seriously. Here is the Baptismal Covenant:<br /> <br />The Baptismal Covenant<br /> <br />Bishop: Do you believe in God the Father?<br /> <br />People: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. <br /> <br />Bishop: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?<br /> <br />People: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.<br /> <br />Bishop: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?<br /> <br />People: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.<br /> <br />Bishop: Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?<br /> <br />People: I will, with God's help. <br /> <br />Bishop: Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?<br /> <br />People: I will, with God's help. <br /> <br />Bishop: Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?<br /> <br />People: I will, with God's help. <br /> <br />Bishop: Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?<br /> <br />People: I will, with God's help. <br /> <br />Bishop: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?<br /> <br />People: I will, with God's help.<br /> <br />That's a pretty serious statement of faith that I happen to believe and take seriously. I have made a vow before men and God that I want to honor with all my power and God's help. <br /> <br />The first time I went to an Anglican Eucharist was on April 11th at St. John's Cathedral here in Knoxville. They are a very high church, but all the rituals and practices at first weired me out. But I felt a tugging at my heart beginning to start. I was really drawn in my the liturgical, Eucharist-centered services. So I want to list a few reasons why I felt lead to join the Anglican Communion and what drew me to the Communion:<br /> <br />1. The Eucharist as center of the service. I had always felt a void in the typical 3 songs and a sermon routine. Not that that is wrong if one feels plugged in, but I did not. I felt plugged into God via the Eucharistic-driven service of the Anglican Church. When Eucharist is the center then what a man preaches or what we sing doesn't matter because it is no longer about us, but about responded to what God has done by the moving liturgy surrounding Holy Eucharist. <br /> <br />2. The liturgy/Book of Common Prayer. One thing that just stirred my heart almost to the point of tears is hearing a cathedral full of believers praying in unison and out loud. The liturgy is what connects all of us Anglicans. Because when someone gets up and just prays we may or may not like what they are praying, but with liturgy it is all agreed upon. We'll unified by it. Drawn in by it. It's "beautifully mysterious and mysteriously beautiful" as one once said. Communal prayer is a very deeply spiritual thing, it's very moving. The saying of the Lord's Prayer out loud together gives me goosebumps every time. <br /> <br />3. The reverence towards God. The Anglican Churches have a practice of standing to sing, sitting to be taught, and kneeling to pray. I like the holiness that is practiced through piety in the Anglican Church. Coming in and genuflecting towards the alter and honoring the presence of Christ there with us. The crossing of one's self for me is symbolic of Christ coming down from Heaven to the belly of the earth to drive Satan away from my heart and to protect it. I also like to bow at the name of Christ to show respect and honor to His name. <br /> <br />4. Unity in Difference. In the Anglican Church the motto is "Unity in difference". And that goes back to the liturgy. We can all disagree theologically or have our own opinions about things, but in the end we're followers of Christ. This is both a blessing and a curse at times. The high call of unity in the Anglican Church, despite our flaws, is essential and really drew me in. <br /> <br />5. Their use of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason. <br /> <br />6. Their theological doctrines and the Creeds of the Holy Church. (The Catechism: http://www.anglicansonline.org/basics/catechism.html and the Articles of Religion: http://www.anglicansonline.org/basics/thirty-nine_articles.html)<br /> <br />7. The governing structure of the Episcopal Church. Episcopal comes from Episcopate, which means governed by a bishop basically. The hierarchy was a point of interest for me because I think the NT makes it clear on having a since of authority within the Church. <br /> <br />I could think of many more things which drew me to the Anglican Communion. We in no way pretend we have it right especially here in the Episcopal Church of the U.S. We have our problems. There's fractions and splits and fights and disputes, but for the most part I see a great sense of unity within the Communion. <br /> <br />I want to share with you part of Christopher Webber's view of Anglicanism:<br /> <br />The Anglican Vision<br />"Uniquely among the churches, the Anglican vision from the very beginning has been not centered so much on organizational unity or doctrinal unity as on a community united in worship. At first, Anglicans looked back to the early centuries of the church to find the essentials around which Christians could be united, but increasingly Anglicans have come to understand that the early church was not united and that the unity God wills for the church lies in the future. As the church moves through history, new challenges arise and old answers become inadequate. Jesus did not tell his disciples that he had left them with all the answers, but rather, 'When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth' (John 16:13). So the discovery of truth is a continuing journey guided by the Holy Spirit, and the answers we find are always provisional answers. They may have been satisfactory in the past but that offers no guarantee that they will be equally satisfactory in the future. Jesus himself, is the truth, but statements about Jesus will not necessarily be able to capture the whole of that truth in terms that a changing society needs to hear. Likewise, the structures of the church that have been vastly different in different periods of the church's history may need to be further changed to meet the needs of a new millennium. Bishops have been pastors in the Celtic church, administrators in the Roman church, democratic leaders in the American church, yet always symbols of unity across time and space. Episcopalians are confident that bishops will be at the center of any further steps toward unity, though their exact function in a reunited church must still be explore. <br /> <br />Above all, Anglicans have never claimed to be THE Church. On its title page, the Book of Common Prayer say that it contains forms for the 'Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church...according to the use of The Episcopal Church.' We do it this way, in other words, but we are only a part of the whole church and make no claim that this is the only way. In the words of Canon Edward West, 'There are other ways of holiness, but this is the only way I understand.' It is, Episcopalians believe, a good way. It is a way, as former Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey once said, that 'converts sinners and creates saints.' Until God shows us a better way, that is all we can ask." <br /> <br />I hope this has given you a good, basic explanation of why I joined the Anglican Communion. I was confirmed on September 29, 2010, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for the future. My plans are to graduate from JBC and enter into seminary at Sewanee University to obtain my Masters in Divinity then one day be ordained into the Holy Priesthood of the Anglican Communion. But that's up to God to open those doors, I must simply trust. <br /> <br />This explanation by Father Joseph Fort Newton is by far the most profound and concise explanation of the Episcopal Church I have yet to hear:<br /> <br />"Something deep in me responds to the sweet and tempered ways of the Episcopal Church. Its atmosphere of reverence, its ordered and stately worship, its tradition of historic continuity, linking today with ages agone; its symbols which enshrine the faith of the past and the hope of the future; its wise and wide tolerance; its old and lovely liturgy — like a stairway, worn by many feet, whereon men climb to God — and, still more, the organized mysticism of its sacraments — all these things of beauty and grace move me profoundly.<br /> <br />More vital still, if possible, is the central and strategic position which the Episcopal Church holds in the confused religious situation of our time. It is the roomiest church in Christendom, in that it accepts the basic facts of Christian faith as symbols of transparent truths, which each may interpret as his insight explores their depth and wonder. Midway between an arid liberalism and an acrid orthodoxy, it keeps its wise course, conserving the eternal values of faith while seeking to read the word of God revealed in the tumult of the time. If its spirit and attitude were better understood, it would be at once the haven and the home of many vexed minds torn between loyalty to the old faith and the new truth. After all, there is one church of Christ. It may wear many names, but its faith is one, and finally, soon or late, it will be one fellowship, drawn together by creative desire or driven together by sheer necessity of facing the forces of destruction in our day, which, if they have their way, will end in materialism and futility. Each man should labor where he can do his best work in behalf of our common Christian enterprise; and I look forward to happy and fruitful service in a great and gracious fellowship."<br /> <br /> <br />Thanks for listening and reading. <br /> <br />"Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. Thanks be to God."<br /> <br />May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. <br /> <br />Amen.Jonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-83239612071790811752010-08-30T07:51:00.001-07:002011-03-04T08:26:12.930-08:00The Endless Pursuit of Perfection or (Already Perfect, But Being Made Holy)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvxlg3uXK1nue8oKS_wqVumYG2fPiueor1pUlrTBxaADCJ8vp8Vah1myCJ5-Am2HLT6yHYo1ToHwqnhJpkznw7QQlgNzpkB6jrEbuqw78hBXBc0vqcKWOz14d3KKnPx7iCv5ZVnoYsw-c/s1600/jesus_cross__.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvxlg3uXK1nue8oKS_wqVumYG2fPiueor1pUlrTBxaADCJ8vp8Vah1myCJ5-Am2HLT6yHYo1ToHwqnhJpkznw7QQlgNzpkB6jrEbuqw78hBXBc0vqcKWOz14d3KKnPx7iCv5ZVnoYsw-c/s320/jesus_cross__.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580261888531363666" /></a><br />Luke writes in Hebrews 10:14, "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." He also speaks of being made perfect with the saints that went before us in Hebrews 11:40. Hebrews 10:14 can be a very confusing verse. How can we be perfected yet still be in the process of being sanctified?<br /><br /> <br /><br />The ESV Study Bible's notes say, "Perfected for all time does not mean that believers are now already sinless, but that Christ has fully earned their perfection. which will certainly be applied to Christians in God's good time. The eternal perfection (see 11:40, 12:23) of the saints stems from the once-for-all-nature of Jesus' sacrifice. Hence, believers look to Christ and not to themselves for a cleansed conscious, full forgiveness of sins, and total flawlessness in the future." As for those who are being sanctified or being made holy it says, "The Greek present participle allows for the idea of progressive sanctification in this life and/or present positional sanctification of the believer as one who from the start is deemed perfectly holy."<br /><br /> <br /><br />Now, I think that to begin to truly comprehend and get a decent grasp on what it means to be made perfect we must go to Hebrews 2:10 which says, "For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering." The Founder of our salvation is Christ Jesus. If He, Himself, was made perfect through suffering, not that he was sinful, but that He fully obeyed then shouldn't we expect as His followers, whom He is sanctifying, to suffer? Shouldn't we expect to endure things that will cause us to suffer in some sort of fashion? Isn't suffering a bi-product of being made perfect and holy?<br /><br /> <br /><br />James writes in his epistle, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."<br /><br /> <br /><br />But I also love how St. Paul says it in Romans 5, "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."<br /><br /> <br /><br />We all have sufferings and burdens to bear. Christ Himself has called us to bear our crosses.<br /><br /> <br /><br />There's a connection between the suffering and the sanctifying.<br /><br /> <br /><br />When we endure trials, sufferings, and tribulations we can identify with the One who was perfected by suffering on the Cross.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Maybe, too often, we look at our suffering as something bad, just another part of fallen humanity.<br /><br /> <br /><br />But maybe, perhaps, suffering is a sacrament.........<br /><br /> <br /><br />That suggestion may be ludicrous, but perhaps there's truth in the pain.<br /><br /> <br /><br />The Catholics call a sacrament "a rite in which God is uniquely active".<br /><br /> <br /><br />The Anglican Book of Common Prayer speaks of sacrament as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible Grace".<br /><br /> <br /><br />If suffering brings about our perfection and sanctification then isn't that a sign of something holy taking place within us. Yes, suffering is usually the external things of life, but that outward suffering leads to a inwardly perfecting of who we are in Christ.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Suffering is a sacrament.<br /><br /> <br /><br />It<br /><br /> <br /><br />Is<br /><br /> <br /><br />HOLY!<br /><br /> <br /><br />We are suffering like the Founder of our faith suffered. We, by our suffering, are being spurred on towards sanctification and holiness.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Christ death brought upon us the inward and invisible Grace of which The Book of Common Prayer speaks.<br /><br /> <br /><br />GRACE<br /><br /> <br /><br />SUFFERING<br /><br /> <br /><br />SACTIFICATION<br /><br /> <br /><br />PERFECTION<br /><br /> <br /><br />They all tie together. It's by that grace that we are allowed to be perfected and made holy. And by that suffering we are spurred on toward refinement in Christ.<br /><br /> <br /><br />It is in suffering that grace is most active....<br /><br /> <br /><br />The activeness of grace brings about holiness and perfection.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I think this poem by an unknown author says it all:<br /><br /> <br /><br />Stepping Stones<br /><br /> <br /><br />The Lord came to me like a dream one day and asked, "Why do you sorrow?"<br /><br />I answered, "Lord, my life is so full of pain, I can't face one more tomorrow."<br /><br /> <br /><br />The Lord sat down beside me, and gently took my hand.<br /><br />He said, "Let me explain to you and then you'll understand.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Each sorrow is a stepping stone you must surmount each day,<br /><br />And every stepping stone you climb is a sorrow that's passed away.<br /><br /> <br /><br />The road of life is a mountainside, with crevices in which to be caught,<br /><br />But as you struggle on your way, I, the Rock, will lend support.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Every stepping stone you climb, makes spirit and heart grow strong.<br /><br />Exercising character and faith this road seems painful and long.<br /><br /> <br /><br />The way is paved with stepping stones, to uplift your heart and soul,<br /><br />Though difficult, they aid your way, to a City paved with gold.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I know that you are tired, for I too have walked this way,<br /><br />My sorrows did they multiply, but I cleared the stones away.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I left my rock to lift you up, I left behind my story.<br /><br />To give you strength to make your climb, to that special place in glory.<br /><br /> <br /><br />And never fear, the Rock is here, You'll never climb alone<br /><br />Surmount life's sorrows, continue on, For they are but stepping stones.<br /><br /> <br /><br />If you are currently involved with a trial or time of suffering, take heart from the words of our dear brother Saint Paul:<br /><br /> <br /><br />"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation."<br /><br /> <br /><br />Move forward knowing that our Lord, The Suffering Servant, fulfilled His complete perfection through His suffering.<br /><br /> <br /><br />May we always seek to count it all joy in hard times and know that it makes us perfect and complete...<br /><br /> <br /><br />Lacking nothing!<br /><br /> <br /><br />Shalom,<br /><br />JonathanJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-70673450482818177442010-08-25T10:47:00.001-07:002010-08-25T10:47:59.498-07:00Here Today, Gone TomorrowThe dawn of yet another year of educational endeavors is upon us. Johnson Bible College had its first day of classes today, the first day of my Junior year. I was walking back from class this afternoon and was listening to Brett Dennen's song World Keeps Turning. Brett sings, "Everything you have today soon could be gone away. Yesterday I had no sorrow, here today and gone tomorrow." <br /> <br />Everything we have today soon could be gone away! That prompted me to become very philosophical and to ponder upon this life that is but a vapor. Life is indeed short. The ignorance of youth is that we tend to ignore this very profound and very true scenario. <br /> <br />We don't see that life is so fragile, so short. Everything that means something to us, everything that is dear to our hearts, and those we love could be gone tomorrow. We could be gone tomorrow.<br /> <br />Life is short.<br /> <br />But Brett's lyric prompted me to examine more closely the philosophical side of what he is saying. He mentions how EVERYTHING can be gone today then mentions how he had sorrow that was here today, but gone tomorrow. <br /> <br />There's a tie between that. <br /> <br />We can as quickly lose the things that hold us back in life, that tie us down, that burden us. And shouldn't we want to lose those things? If life is temporal shouldn't we want to throw off all that hinders us from living the abundant life that Christ came to give us (John 10:10). <br /> <br />Sorrow, sadness, worry, death, struggles, sins, heartache, or anything that holds us down from living life fully and enjoying the kind of abundant life Christ gives MUST go!<br /> <br />The life that Christ came to give is not a life in the physical, not by what I gather. It is an abundant spiritual life which then in turn effects the physical, emotional, mental, and social. <br /> <br />The world keeps turning....<br /> <br />Are we going to live life abundantly as it turns? Or are we going to be weighted down by things that prevent us from obtaining an abundant life? <br /> <br />God is faithful. Even though we are struggling in this life there is hope always. He insures that the world does indeed keeping turning. Life goes on. What we are enduring today can be gone tomorrow. Genesis 8:22 says, "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."<br /> <br />It's a earthly portrait of God's faithfulness to bring about the seasons. <br /> <br />We are the humanly portrait of God's faithfulness to bring His people through the tough seasons of life. We are His magnum opus, His most epic masterpiece. <br /> <br />If He is faithful and just to bring about the seasons of the earth how much more so would He be faithful and just to bring us through the winters of life into the spring that is erupting with polychromous life? <br /> <br />All the sorrows and struggles of this life are here today, gone tomorrow. <br /> <br />God is faithful to bring us through the winter. <br /> <br />He doesn't long for us to live in winter, but winter serves a purpose for growth and formation. <br /> <br />We endure it for but a season. <br /> <br />So I wanted to right this not only as a general encouragement, but also for the new year of academia that has begun for those of us at JBC. With school comes many stresses, worries, pains, and struggles. So to those who read this remember that when it gets hard and sorrow comes to the door to shake it off and let it go. The world keeps turning. God's faithfulness is reliable. He will bring us through. <br /> <br />And for those I wrote this towards as just encouragement and for the students we all must remember the same concept:<br /> <br />"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning," as Psalms 30:5 reads. <br /> <br />What's here today is gone tomorrow!<br /> <br />Shalom, <br />JonathanJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6041737452629841545.post-57335906989853622032010-08-11T11:47:00.000-07:002010-08-16T12:18:12.605-07:00The Myth of Legislative MoralityThe Myth of Legislative Morality<br /> <br />Greetings, I have decided to title this The Myth of Legislative Morality in honor of one of my favorite theologians and writers, Dr. Greg Boyd. To begin let’s define morality. I prefer these two definition of morality:<br /> <br />1. The quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct.<br />2. A system of ideas of right and wrong conduct: religious morality; Christian morality<br /> <br />Now, I am approaching this blog from the view point of definition number 2. Christian morality or also known as righteous or holiness. I am not talking about the standards of right and good conduct from a worldly standpoint.<br /> <br />So can we legislate righteousness and holiness? Let’s explore it a little.<br /> <br />All laws are based on some sort of code of ethics or on a higher transcendent Being. Here's a great quote by writer Gary Burger to address this that I found in doing some research on legislating morality:<br /> <br />"We must then ask what system of ethics and morality is the best one to base our laws on. We have two broad choices. One is a system that says moral values are created by people in their own context of community, culture and time period. In other words, moral values are relative to the situation or group or time period. The other one is a system that says moral values come from one source that transcends all individuals, cultures, communities and time-periods. The major battle going on in our legal system today is over which of these two systems should be the basis of our laws. Therefore, we should be asking, which system is the right one to impose on people through laws?"<br /> <br />I think that when it boils down to it that we all agree that morality, whether it is a standard of right and wrong or the religious system, does indeed come from a transcendent being, which we know to be God. As CS Lewis says, "My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?" Burger says of Lewis:<br /> <br />“He realized that there was not only a transcendent law to which every man appeals but also a transcendent Law-giver. This Law-giver had to be perfect in every way in order to know what perfect justice is. This Law-giver also had to be a living and intelligent personal being with perfect knowledge of all things. Why? No impersonal force could think up what perfect justice means.”<br /> <br />Burger goes on to clarify that when wronged even an atheist will appeal to moral absolutes. He says:<br /> <br />“It is telling when we observe people to see which system they really believe in regardless of what they say they believe in. What happens when the person who says he believes there are no moral absolutes is the victim of a crime? If they are consistent with their stated belief they would really have no right to complain. The judge should say, "The suspect believed he was doing the right thing in robbing you to support his drug habit, and you believe he was wrong to do it. To what standard of right and wrong outside of yourself are you appealing to when you say he is wrong and you are right?" Merely by stating he thinks the suspect is wrong he has confessed that he really does believe in an absolute standard of right and wrong that transcends him and the suspect. The fact that everyone does this reinforces our conclusion that moral values come from one source that transcends all individuals, cultures, communities and time periods.”<br /> <br />So we got that out of the way. We know that the morality comes from something higher. Morality, holiness, and righteousness all come from God. But I think where we Christians all differ is our approach to introducing people to that transcendent Creator of morality and His commands for holiness and righteousness.<br /> <br />Now, I could be wrong about this, but for the most part Christians advocate legislation that is in direct agreement of their morality, their sense of righteousness and holiness that comes from God. Because laws are designed to control a person's behavior from the outside? So if we legislate with what we find to be true righteousness and holiness we are doing what is right and good.<br /> <br />Lets get theological if we may.<br /> <br />We all know that with Christ the fulfillment of the OT Law was complete, and we no longer have any adherence to the Mosaic Law; at least I think theological we are all in agreement about that. If not, I dont' want to argue that. BUT what I'm saying is that even the Mosaic Law was set up by God to control from the outside and show what sin was. It operated much like laws of society and of a nation do. In fact it was the laws of a society and nation. The nation of Israel.<br /> <br />But with the Mosaic system there was no changing of the hearts. The Law operated from a external stand point, but there was no factor operating from the internal standpoint.<br /> <br />Now comes Christ....<br /> <br />With the fulfillment of the OT Law complete and Christ dying for our sins, since the Law showed us what sin was, Christ can now give the promise of that internal Prompter of good, the Holy Spirit. He even gives the promise of Himself coming inside of our hearts to transform us from within to do what is good and right by the Holy Spirit. I John 3:24 says, “This is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” That transformation is something the Law was never able to do, which Paul makes very clear in his first letter he ever wrote, Galatians. He wrote in Galatians 3, “For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.” He also said in Galatians 2:21, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”<br /> <br />So by grace through faith Christ comes to dwell within us. Charles Finney says:<br /> <br />"The Spirit of Christ, then, or the real Deity of Christ, dwells in the truly spiritual believer. But this fact needs to be spiritually apprehended [understood], and kept distinctly and continually in view. Christ not only in heaven, but Christ within us, as really and truly inhabiting our bodies as we do, as really in us as we are in ourselves, [this] is the teaching of the Bible, and must be spiritually apprehended by a divine, personal, and inward revelation, to secure our abiding in Him.”<br /> <br />And we find that once we invite Him into our hearts by the Spirit that we are to be conformed to the Image of His Son, which Paul address in Romans 8.<br /> <br />I wrote a previous blog about the sanctification we endure as believers. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”<br /> <br />So it is very clear that the OT Law did not bring about righteousness, but that only Christ dying, coming to dwell within us by the Spirit to transform us and continue to sanctify us is the only way to bring about righteousness and goodness.<br /> <br />We also have the promise of the work started in us being completed in Philippines 1:6.<br /> <br />With Christ we have a perfect standard. His flawless character is that standard. And with that perfect flawless character He shows us that deep down we want perfect moral goodness. And only by His sacrifice and promise of the Spirit do we receive that. With Christ we receive that internal prompting of what is good and right. Also, known as the Fruits of the Spirit. We no longer need the law to tell us what to do because we have that internalized sense of what is right and good because of the Holy Spirit's dwelling within us helping to bring Christ spiritually transformed within us. (Now, I do think that Nomos, the Law, can still be used to steer us in the right direction at times. Romans 6, 7, and 8 are great chapters about Sarks, Nomos, and Nooma, but that's for another time.)<br /> <br />Now, if we have that internal sense of right and wrong because we have Christ dwelling in us it is our concern that others discover the sacrifice of Christ and come to relationship in him and be baptized into the Holy Communion of the Saints and to invite the transformational Spirit into their hearts.<br /> <br />It seems to be that the Law was concerned about the external, the appearance. But our Gracious Lord is concerned with the heart. Look at how many times he flipped the Law on its head by saying that if you look lustfully at a woman you have committed adultery or that if you hate you have murdered. Our Lord is concerned with hearts.<br /> <br />Which leads me to my point of if we are seeking only to legislate against those things with which we morally disagree then how can that change people's hearts? How can that introduce to them the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? How can seeking to win a cultural and political war ever really introduce people to Christ and His righteousness when in essence it is forced upon them? A professor at JBC once told me this: "If you want to get rid of something like abortion or gay marriage you must first change people's hearts."<br /> <br />For me seeking to legislate is merely a sweeping under the rug of the real concern, people's hearts. It's like cutting a weed off at the top and not addressing the root.<br /> <br />And this for me is where Dr. Greg Boyd is so amazing. His argument that Christ's message was not to gain the political upper hand nor to win the culture war, but to simply serve. Even Christ Himself said he came to serve not to be served.<br /> <br />So it's in the administration of morality that we Christians disagree I think. Some advocate what Boyd calls the power-over approach which yields the sword (political power).<br /> <br />I, however, advocate the approach that Dr. Boyd and I both believe to be the approach that Christ himself preached and that is the power-under mentality that says I want to come under ALL people in love, justice, peace and service. I want to serve them as Christ would. I want to show them the goodness and love of our Savior through acts of service not through acts of coercion by a political system for acts of coercion have never brought about real change within anyone.<br /> <br />It is in the power-under approach that I believe hearts can indeed be changed. And IF hearts are changed then Christ comes to dwell in those hearts if they invite Him, so making it that those people now have a internal sense of morality and what is right and good in the eyes of God. They have the Spirit dwelling within them now transforming to the image of Christ. Sanctifying them.<br /> <br />So again, the question of can we legislate morality? I think that is too broad of a stroke, but demands a more specific answer. If by the first definition of morality then yes, I think we can legislate standards of conduct and ethics, which one may or may not see as influenced by a higher being. But those standards and ethics, like the OT Law, work only with the external. However, I am not condoning a view that suggests we forsake all laws of the land in order to focus on hearts. That would be chaos. Laws of the land are good and indeed serve a good purpose of protecting us from murderers, thieves, and rapists. I do not condone doing away with laws of the land. We need that first definition of morality whether it comes with the influence of the Divine or not. We cannot exist in anarchy.<br /> <br />But if we are operating under the second definition of morality, which is the holiness of God and His righteousness then no we cannot legislate that. We can influence and instigate holiness and righteousness through loving acts of mercy, kindness, justice, peace, love, and service. It is clear that the only way to have righteousness and holiness is by inviting Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior allowing for Him to send His Spirit to dwell with you transforming you. It is the internal prompting of good.<br /> <br />Christ told us to go and make disciples not win political battles and cultural wars. Winning those things is not spreading the Gospel and winning those things will not make converts of anyone. It is only by becoming more like Christ and being a servant and loving ALL people that the Gospel is ALIVE. And only by that will righteousness and holiness be obtained.<br /> <br />I don't know if that makes any sense at all, but it's the best I can muster to my side of the discourse. You may not agree with my stance, as I dont' with power-over approach. But one thing is for certain, politics will never change people's hearts. Laws will never change people's hearts. It’s a myth that we can legislate the kind of morality that Christ brings when we invite Him into our hearts. But here is a interesting take by Gary Burger on a all too familiar story:<br /> <br />"Christianity offers something that no other religion or philosophy offers. Jesus offers to come live inside of us and change us so we have the internal motivation to do what is right whether or not there is a law about it or not. This is what happened when a guy named Zacchaeus met Jesus (Luke 19). Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the Roman Empire. He was told how much tax to collect from people. He had to collect this amount and give it to the authorities. Now it was typical for a tax collector to bring his ‘friends’ with him to your house and collect more than the official amount. The Romans would look on. As a result they were wealthy and hated. I guess they would rather be wealthy than popular. One evening, Jesus and a large gathering of people were eating supper with Zacchaeus in his house. (Jesus invited himself to dinner.) I wish I could have been in on the conversation Jesus and Zacchaeus were having to know what Jesus said to the man. All of a sudden, Zacchaeus stands up and says, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ What did Jesus say to him, ‘Zacchaeus give back all the money or I'll turn you into a toad’? I don't think so. And it probably wasn't just what Jesus said but who Jesus is. Zacchaeus found himself in the presence of Someone with a flawless character who showed him that deep down inside we really want perfect moral goodness. Zacchaeus internalized the desire to do good. He didn't need a law to force him to do it."<br /> <br />In essence morality is no longer about laws, ethics, or standards from the external prospective. Morality is now, by Christ own doing, an internal matter. No matter how many laws we make or legislate the root of the problem is still someone's heart. We can seek to control by external means, but Christ has called and equipped us to work with the internal. Just think if we spent half as much energy we do on seeking the political and cultural upperhand on actually focusing on the internal issues of the heart what the US and the world would look like. Let's start following the radically beautiful kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the One whose focus is hearts.<br /> <br />A good friend of mine here at JBC summed it up like this:<br /> <br />"True morality can never be legislated: no, a character that truly reflects the heart of the God of infinite holiness must flow out of heart filled with God Himself. As such, a life pleasing to God must flow from Him and to His glory. It's a matter of allegiance, not external piety."<br /> <br />I hope I have justified my arguement coherently. Whether you agree or not I hope you enjoyed reading and were possibly challenged.<br /> <br />May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you,<br />Jonathan AndersonJonathan Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409227216437164212noreply@blogger.com0