Freemasons: An Influential Secret Society

Freemasons: An Influential Secret Society
“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:
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).

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).
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.
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).
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.
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).
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).
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).
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).
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).
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).
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).













Works Cited
Bradley, Michael. The Secrets of The Freemasons. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006.
Clough, Richard. Geffen Houses a Masonic Past. 2006. 2 March 2008.

Dali, Salvador. Thinkexist Quotes About Influence. 2008. 3 March 2008.
http://thinkexist.com/quotations/influence/2.html
Robison, John J. Born In Blood. New York, New York: M. Evans and Company, 1989.
Tolson, Jay. “Inside the Masons.” U.S. News and World Report 5 September 2005L 30-35.
Unknown Author. Federal Debt Relief System. 2008. 3 March 2008.
http://www.fdrs.org/freemason_quotes.html
Unknown Author. Freemasonry Watch. 2008. 3 March 2008. www.freemasonrywatch.org
Unknown Author. Mason Influence In Government. 2008. 3 March 2008.

York, Neil L. Freemasons and The American Revolution. 2008. 3 March 2008.

A 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:

My Most Important Question


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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Growing up in the church I was taught that the Bible was the authoritative word of God.

I was taught that it was inerrant. That it was infallible and that it was inspired by God.

And as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, that it is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

I had been taught that the Bible was God’s word, that it was a divine product.

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.

I found it hard to believe and accept the traditional view of inspiration knowing what I did know about the Bible’s authorship.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I am not devaluing scripture when I say it is a human product. I see the Bible sacred not in origin, but in status.

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.

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.

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.

The biblical canon names the primary collection of ancient documents with which Christians are to be in continuing dialogue with.

Scripture, N.T. Wright says, does not exist to give authoritative answers to questions other than those it addresses.

Some questions and issues of scripture only applied to the time they were written, others still affect us today.

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.

In the modern period, the Bible has almost been elevated to a position of worship.

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.

I still think the Bible is holy, and I still think it is the Word of God

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.

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.

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.

Conformed to the Image of His Son

The 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.

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.

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.

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.

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:


Conformed to the Image of His Son
Dr. Gupton on Spiritual Formation and Discipleship


"Spiritual disciplines are activities we do to cooperate with God's work to transform us into the image of Christ." -Dr. Carlus Gupton

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.”

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.”

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.

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.

How do we do this?

We must discuss the spiritual disciplines and practices. Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline is an amazing book on this subject.

Spiritual Disciplines:
1. They are put forth as overwhelming
2. Jesus warns heavily on putting the spiritual life out of reach of people (Matthew 23:4)
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.
4. They are activities we do to cooperate with God’s work in transforming us into Christ’s image.

Spiritual Practice of Prayer:
-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.

-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.

The 3 Times of Prayer:
The Morning Light- Psalms 88
The Midday- Psalms 92
The Nightfall- Psalms 92

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.

1. The Prayer of Morning Light

John Stott’s Morning Trinitarian Prayer

Good morning heavenly Father,
good morning Lord Jesus,
good morning Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.
Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence
and please you more and more.

Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

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.

Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God,
have mercy upon me. Amen

2. The Prayer of Midday (can be any prayer)

St. Francis’ Prayer for Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith ;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you
That with your saints I may praise you
For ever and ever. Amen.

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.

3. The Evening Prayer (Prayer of Examen)

5 Practices at End of Day
1. Become aware of God’s presence
2. Review day with gratitude
3. Ask Spirit to see ourselves honestly-reflection
4. Pray about one event of the day
5. Look forward to tomorrow

4 Questions When Reviewing the Day:
-What went well?
-What went poorly?
-What gifts did I receive?
-What needs healing?

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.

http://ignatianspirituality.com/

http://www.rcdom.org.uk/documents/EXAMEN.pdf

Love Can Last If You Only Let It Grow or (Reflections on Our Marriage)

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..."

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:

"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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

The song lyric by William Fitzsimmons says, "Love can last if you only let it grow..."

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!

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.

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!

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

Remember that love can last if you only let it grow...



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.

A Beautiful Collision or (3+4=7)

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.

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.

There's many things one can say about Easter and the blessed Resurrection of our Lord. But I want to talk about collisions!

David Crowder, in his genius, wrote an entire album about collisions. This album is called "A Collision or (3+4=7)!

David Crowder has a saying on the album leaflet that reads, "When our depravity meets His Divinity it is a BEAUTIFUL COLLISION!"

Is this grand statement so eloquently put not the perfect summation of The Resurrection Day?

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!

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!"

AMEN!

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.

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.

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."

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."


Death, burial, resurrection! Baptism, Death, Resurrection! Epiphany, Lent, Easter!

There's connection I do believe!

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!

In our death in baptism we arise to newness in life for Christ too was raised to newless of life in His Resurrection!

When our depravity meets His Divinity it is a BEAUTIFUL COLLISION!

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!

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!"

With this newness of life we have become divine.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons stated that God "became what we are in order to make us what he is himself."

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."

St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we "are called `temples of God' and indeed `gods,' and so we are."

St. Basil the Great stated that "becoming a god" is the highest goal of all.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus implores us to "become gods for (God's) sake, since (God) became man for our sake."

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."

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!

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."

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!

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.

We on this day celebrate the Risen Lord's triumph over the grave, over death, over sin, over brokeness, over hate, and over hell!

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!

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!

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.

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."

There is more to Easter then Christ going to Heaven. With His Resurrection He brought the world and humanity into collision with Divinity!

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."

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!

We will never be the same...WE ARE RESURRECTION PEOPLE!

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.

Jejune Holiness: A Return To Innocence or (My Reflections on Ash Wednesday and Lent)

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.

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:

http://www.orlutheran.com/html/ash.html

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

I like this defining of Lent:

"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

‎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."

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.

For me Lent is about HOLINESS....

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:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=482768963262

After Jesus' Baptism He was led into the wilderness which is recorded well in Saint Matthew's Gospel:

"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.” ’

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.” ’

Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’

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.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him."

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."

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!

Jesus experienced the spokeman for evil himself and yet Christ did not succomb to the temptations of sin and evil.

He abstained by evil!

What is interesting is that He abstained from evil not just by fasting, but by refuting Satan with Scripture.

Christ retained His holiness and defeated His temptation by His meditations, prayers, fasting, and use of Scripture.

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.

BUT

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.

We fail to obtain that holiness that Christ had.

My observation is that so often our holiness is just that our holiness!

Our holiness is JEJUNE HOLINESS!

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.

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.

I am very guilty of this, please understand that.

We ALL are!

We were baptized into salvation and newness of life with a committment to abstain from evil and to live out the Gospel.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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."

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."

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.

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."

Confession is VERY important as believers!



Job said, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

It is a strong phrase to say you despise yourself, but it is the beginning of repentance.

‎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."

Yes, we are self-despised sinners! Yes, we MUST repent! Yes, we MUST confess our sins to God and one another!

But we have been baptized; we can return to innocense by rediscoverying God's grace anew!

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).

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).

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).

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.

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.

Psalm 51:17 says, "
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

May we pray together through the Litany of Penitance:

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and
strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We
have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us.
We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved
your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the
pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation
of other people,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those
more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and
our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to
commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done:
for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our
indifference to injustice and cruelty,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our
neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those
who differ from us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of
concern for those who come after us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Amen

Remember the words of the Psalmist:

"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."

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.

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.

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.

Unfairness

I 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.

Unfairness

Your love it rescues
You reached down
And lifted us from the fall
And all humanity came to life

With the Cross
You reached down
And picked us up from the fall
What was fair about
The sacrifice of Innocence?
God showed unfairness to One
To show mercy to all
Love is unfair
But Love gave up Himself
To rescue us from desperation

Your love it beckons
You call to us
And make us Sons of God
Our hearts are alive

With the Cross
You reached down
And picked us up from the fall
What was fair about
The sacrifice of Innocence?
God showed unfairness to One
To show mercy to all
Love is unfair
But Love gave up Himself
To rescue us from desperation

No greater act of kindness exists
Your mercy is unending, forever matchless
You are forever matchless!
Your love is fulfilling, forever matchless
You are forever matchless!
Forever matchless!

Words by Jonathan Anderson