Category Archives: Religion

Ascension

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Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. – Luke 24:50-51

The year I graduated from University a fellow student, Heather Whitestone, won Miss America. Many of us who had little or no interest in the competition before watched that year. It was exciting to watch someone who ate in the cafeteria with us competing in a national competition. And of course we were proud when she won. My roommate at the time had asked her out and been told that she was dating someone – I still tease him about being able to say that he was turned down by Miss America.
There is something in us that takes pride in sharing something in common with someone given an honor. I was proud of a fellow University student. We feel a sense of honor when they play the “Star Spangled Banner” at the Olympics. I’ve heard folks tell me with pride that Mt. Carmel and friends and family are in the movie Walk the Line. We share in the honor given to someone we have a bond.
The Sunday before Pentecost is Ascension Sunday, when we remember that Jesus, having finished his earthly ministry was “carried up to heaven” to be seated, as the Apostles’ Creed puts it, “at the right hand of God the Father Almighty”. Consider what it means for Jesus to have ascended to heaven. Jesus is the Word become flesh, God incarnate. Yet after he had paid the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross, and after he was resurrected from the dead, he didn’t throw off the human body and become pure spirit. Nor did he become un-incarnate, dumping off His human nature now that the “dirty work” was finished. The flesh he had taken was not disposed of as though it had no use. It was taken into glory. Jesus remains incarnate, that is, he continues to be fully Human (mind, body, and spirit) as well as fully Divine.
How all this works in incomprehensible, but what we can understand is the God values His good creation, including the physical world of dirt and water, flesh and blood. We receive an amazing honor in having one who is fully human “seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 8:1). Therefore, the way we view and treat ourselves and our neighbor should bear in mind that Lord did not despise the flesh or his humanity, but has glorified it and promises to glorify us as well.

The Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom

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In seminary we were shown a video of an Eastern Orthodox liturgy. It included St. John Chysostom’s Easter Homily, which, we were told, is read every year as part of the Easter liturgy. I love the exuberant invitation of Chrysostom’s sermon and like to use it on Easter as the invitation to the Lord’s Supper.

If any man be devout and loveth God,
Let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast!
If any man be a wise servant,
Let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord.

If any have laboured long in fasting,
Let him how receive his recompense.
If any have wrought from the first hour,
Let him today receive his just reward.
If any have come at the third hour,
Let him with thankfulness keep the feast.
If any have arrived at the sixth hour,
Let him have no misgivings;
Because he shall in nowise be deprived therefore.
If any have delayed until the ninth hour,
Let him draw near, fearing nothing.
And if any have tarried even until the eleventh hour,
Let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness.

For the Lord, who is jealous of his honour,
Will accept the last even as the first.
He giveth rest unto him who cometh at the eleventh hour,
Even as unto him who hath wrought from the first hour.
And He showeth mercy upon the last,
And careth for the first;
And to the one He giveth,
And upon the other He bestoweth gifts.
And He both accepteth the deeds,
And welcometh the intention,
And honoureth the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter ye all into the joy of your Lord;
Receive your reward,
Both the first, and likewise the second.
You rich and poor together, hold high festival!
You sober and you heedless, honour the day!
Rejoice today, both you who have fasted
And you who have disregarded the fast.
The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously.
The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.
Enjoy ye all the feast of faith:
Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty,
For the universal Kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one weep for his iniquities,
For pardon has shown forth from the grave.
Let no one fear death,
For the Saviour’s death has set us free.
He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.

By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive.
He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh.
And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry:
Hell, said he, was embittered
When it encountered Thee in the lower regions.

It was embittered, for it was abolished.
It was embittered, for it was mocked.
It was embittered, for it was slain.
It was embittered, for it was overthrown.
It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.
It took a body, and met God face to face.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being risen from the dead,
Is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and dominion
Unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Behold the Lamb of God

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The next day [John the Baptizer] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was not merely a great injustice in the death of an innocent man, or the tragically short end to the life of a captivating moral teacher.  Jesus’ death on the cross was the culmination of his ministry, he himself said just before he was betrayed into the hands of the Roman officials “Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” (John 12:27)   His death was a sacrifice that freed His people.  Just as the passover, the sacrifice that marked God’s people with the blood of the lamb, celebrated Israel’s liberation from bondage to Egypt, the death of Jesus, “the lamb of God”, marks us as those who are liberated from sin and death.

John notes several details about the crucifixion to remind his readers that Jesus is the one who is the ultimate passover lamb.   Many points of his narrative coincide with the details of the sacrifice given in Exodus 11 and 12.  The chronology in John’s Gospel tells us that the crucifixion took place at the time the lambs were being slaughtered for the sacred meal.  John 20:25-27 tells us that Jesus was looking after the well being of his mother, in doing so we are reminded that he was her firstborn – in the Exodus, the firstborn of those not marked with the lamb’s blood were killed by the final plague.  In v. 29, we are told that a hyssop branch is used to give Jesus a final drink to quench his thirst, this is reminiscent of the hyssop used to mark the door posts in Exodus 12:22.  We are also told in detail that Jesus’ bones were not broken during his execution, an explicit requirement for preparing the passover meal. (Ex. 12:46)  John masterfully reminds us through his telling of the Lord’s passion what Paul writes in I Corinthians 5:7-8, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  Let us therefore celebrate the festival”.

Renew

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And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. -Mark 1:35
I was watching the cartoon movie Cars with my children the other day.  The movie begins with the main character Lightning McQueen in a race.  He is in the lead but ignores his pit crew’s advice to make a stop and change tires.  In the last lap his tires blow out costing him the first place spot he easily had.  The movie reminded me the story author Stephen Covey tells of a woodcutter who works himself to exhaustion while producing less and less lumber because he is too busy cutting wood to stop and sharpen his saw.  The movie also reminded me of my own tendency to focus more on working, producing, and doing things while ignoring my own need to take time for resting, praying, and listening — to “sharpen the saw”.
God has ordered his creation with a rhythm of alternating a day of work with a night of rest, periods of productivity followed by times of lying fallow.  This is most explicitly seen in God’s gift of the Sabbath – a day of rest and leisure after six days of labor.  This pattern is seen in the story of creation, the laws of the nation of Israel and in the example of Christ himself who reminded the Pharisees (who would have made the Sabbath another burdensome item on a to-do list of righteousness) that the “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)
I can notice the difference very quickly in my own life if I don’t take regular time for prayer, meditation, and study.  I learned very early in my ministry that the pastorate is an easy place to “fake it”.  Feigned devotion and religious cliches delivered with a “stained-glass” voice can cover a lack of thoughtful prayer and attentive listening to the scriptures for awhile, but eventually the well runs dry.  But this true for all Christians.  If we don’t set aside time regularly to rest in the Lord who restores our souls we can find our faith wearing thin.  If the busy-ness of our life pushes out time for prayer, for letting our “requests be made known to God” we find ourselves even more overwhelmed. And if our service in God’s name isn’t balanced with mediation on God’s Word even our Church life can become just another group of activities and commitments to fill up our already crowded calenders.
May I suggest a New Year’s resolution?  Resolve to do less.  Do less so that you can spend more time being aware of what God is doing.  Do less daily so that you can take a few moments to read the Bible and pray.  Do less weekly so that you can enjoy God’s gift of Sabbath rest.  Make time on a regular basis to go to a park, or to read, or to listen to an inspiring song.  Make time, as Jesus did to find a “desolate place” and pray there.

Forgotten Mission

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Yesterday I preached on the visit of the magi.  My main point was that the priests and Bible scholars had forgotten Israel’s calling to be a light to the nations even as God was revealing Christ’s birth to Gentiles.  I spoke about how easy it is for us, as the Church, to remember our calling and mission.

This morning I came across a New Year’s Day editorial by Peggy Noonan, via the Gospel Coalition that was pointing out the loss of mission and purpose by many of our civic institutions.  I wish I had found it while preparing for my sermon.  She writes:

Maybe the most worrying trend the past 10 years can be found in this phrase: “They forgot the mission.” So many great American institutions—institutions that every day help hold us together—acted as if they had forgotten their mission, forgotten what they were about, what their role and purpose was, what they existed to do. You, as you read, can probably think of an institution that has forgotten its reason for being. Maybe it’s the one you’re part of.

Moving into the Neighborhood

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The Advent season draws our thoughts to the miracle of the Incarnation, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) – or as the Message colorfully paraphrases it “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood”.  Our salvation was not wrought by Jesus swooping down from Heaven in a single day to fix our troubles and then ride off into the sunset. He was “born of a woman”. He was made like us “in every way”.  As a child he “grew and became strong”.  As an adult he went to synagogue, got hungry, slept, cried and celebrated weddings. In every way he lived the day to day realities of a first century Jewish peasant.  As Christians, we are called to proclaim the good news of what Jesus did and to serve as he served, but we are not simply to do the things Jesus did – feed the hungry and proclaim the gospel, welcome the stranger and pray for the sick – but to do things in the way that he did. The Incarnation is a model of ministry.  This is particularly apparent to our family.  We have packed boxes and moved to a new ZIP code.  We have sent our change of address notifications and I’ve updated my computer’s weather notification.  We’re moving into the neighborhood to minister as part of a new congregation and community.  As a pastor becoming part of a particular community and serving a particular congregation is the way my vocation is exercised.  What is true here for pastoral ministry is also true for the “ministry of reconciliation” given to all Christians.  The ministry of all the baptized is done as part of a particular culture, place, and time.  Ministry is not “Us” helping “Them”.  Christians are not to be sequestered from the world; that is we are still “in” the world though not “of” it.  We all follow Christ among our friends and neighbors, classmates and co-workers, and amid the funerals, ballgames and PTO meetings we point to Christ.

As one early disciple explained:

The Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. … inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners.

Statement of Faith

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Today I was received by the Presbytery of the Mid-South, Presbyterian Church (USA).  I presented the following Statement of Faith:

I adhere to the classic, historic faith of the Christian Church, particularly as it has been understood by the Reformed tradition. I confess the faith of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, the definition of the Council of Chalcedon and the the Athanasian Creed. I am also in agreement with the historic, Reformed consensus as collected in the PCUSA Book of Confessions. I believe these are in agreement with the Holy Scriptures which is the infallible rule of faith and practice.

I believe in a sovereign and holy God who created all things. This God is Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Humans were created in His image to be in relationship with Him and each other, but through sin have rebelled against God and impaired their relationship with other humans and the whole of creation which now longs for redemption. All people are by nature deficient due to our sinful nature and unable to know God apart from His intervention.

In spite of our rebellion God sent His Son to become incarnate in human flesh. He entered history and lived a life of perfect obedience, fulfilling the Law that we could not and suffering death on the Cross to pay the penalty our sin and rebellion deserved, propitiating the wrath of a righteous God. He was resurrected on the third day.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit we come to have faith in Christ and his work on the cross. Through this faith, and solely by God’s grace, we are pronounced righteous and adopted into God’s family, the Church. As the Church we are called to proclaim the good news of Christ’s work to those around us and, out of our gratitude for God’s grace, to live a life that is congruent with God’s Kingdom through our work for justice, charity to the poor, care of creation and other works of mercy.

All Hallow’s Eve

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Every year around Halloween I hear brothers and sisters raising concerns about Christians participating in Halloween events.  Generally they point to the pagan origins of Samhain and the “unscriptural” feast of All Saints Day as an invention of the Roman Catholic Church and therefore unwarranted.  This year like several before our congregation had a Halloween party with kids wearing costumes; we gave out candy, roasted marshmallows and had a hay ride.  I know many churches have similar festivities but rename it “Fall Festival”.  It seems to be disingenuous to me to happen to have a party around October 31 were you encourage kids to wear costumes, but act like it’s not a Halloween party because you have used a different name.  Besides, Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is the Christian term for the day.
Again this year a friend shared with me an explanation of why Halloween is evil and Christians should not participate.  As I thought about it I didn’t think I could or even should try to convince another believer that Halloween is good and should be embraced.  At the same time I don’t think it is appropriate to be dismissive of concerns by fellow believers.  So in an attempt to explain why my children will dress up this evening and go trick-or-treating I offer the following points.

  1. In I Corinthians 10 Paul deals with concerns among Christians about eating meat that had previously been offered as sacrifices to pagan gods.  Meat from sacrificial victims was butchered and sold in the markets.  Some Christians believed it was wrong to eat it since it had been used for worship of false gods, others believed that there was nothing wrong with it, probably since a non-existent god could have no effect on the good gift of the true God.  Paul does not forbid eating the meat unless it offends someone’s conscience.  Paul recognises the liberty of Christians to choose different actions, indeed with a relation to paganism, based on individual conscience, respect and love for fellow believers, and of course with the stipulation that “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”.  Of course Paul is warning not to use our liberty to offend fellow believers, but at the same time he is not giving permission to those with “weaker” consciences to direct others actions.
  2. One point that is made by many who think that it is wrong from Christians to trick-or-treat is that while they might think it is innocent fun, the pagan origins means that they are unwittingly participating in actions connected with witchcraft or idol worship.  I think that intention has to be taken much more serious than this.  Worship cannot be unintentional.  By trick-or-treating our intention is to visit friends and family, enjoy dressing up, and showing hospitality to neighbours. I can’t imagine anyone who makes this argument accepting the same for Christian worship – we simply don’t believe that a someone who is not part of the Church partaking of the Lord’s Supper has truly worshipped the Living God or received the benefits of the sacrament.
  3. Some Christians seem to be concerned with the pagan associations Christian Holidays have.  Generally the argument made is that the Roman Catholic Church, without Biblical warrant, introduced Christian Holidays to compete with the pagan festival and many pagan practices became part of the Christian celebration which is therefore tainted.  First, it is incredibly anachronistic to say that the Roman Church introduced these days, they are the heritage of all Christians pre-dating both the Reformation and the schism between the East and West.  Second, while some Christians believe that no day should be observed other than those explicitly commanded in the scriptures, I find good warrant to observe Holidays that have developed by tradition.  In John 10:22-23 we read, “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.”  The Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, which Jesus is apparently observing, was not mandated in the Torah.  It developed in the period after the Old Testament and commemorates the rededication of the temple during the Maccabean Revolt.  Finally, I think it’s good for us to remember the differences in our own times and culture with our predecessors.  For most of us Religion and Society are separated, for ancients everything was religious.  For us pagan seems to imply a minority group of evil primitives.  It is helpful to remember that in the early part of our history pagans were the dominant culture in a society that did not separate religion from politics, the marketplace or sports.  The early Christians had to struggle with how to be faithful within such a culture.  The  Church might have established Holy Days to coincide with pagan festivals.  Rather than a scheme to “Christianize” these days, it might have simply been the case that as the minority who did not get to set the calendar, observing Christian feasts at times they would already have free was simply a practical measure.  (This is admittedly simply personal speculation.)  On the other hand there is evidence that the Church chose days without reference to the dominant pagan calendar and the copying was the other way around.

A Way With Words

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I noticed this article on a USA Today blog this afternoon.  It reports that “The Southern Baptist Convention has broken its 127-year-old ties with a Fort Worth Baptist church because the SBC views its stand on homosexuality as too lenient”.
What caught my attention was the differences in articles I’ve been reading on the formation of the new Anglican Church in North America that consistently portray the groups that formed the ACNA as conservative schismatics leaving the Episcopal Church (for example here and here).  Nevermind the fact that the Episcopal Church has arrogantly ignored the larger Anglican Communion.
Reports of the inaugural convention fail to mention that some bishops who “left the episcopal church” have been deposed for “abandoning the communion” of the Church.(Here, here, and here)  Nor have they mentioned the priests who have been defrocked for their criticism.
When those who hold traditional views are in the majority they are seen as the agent causing division, when it was the Fort Worth Church that broke away from the clear teaching of the Southern Baptist Association (who, by the way won’t be suing for property or defrocking clergy).  On the other hand when they are in the minority, they are portrayed as “breakaway”, “dissident” and schismatic.

Church on the Diamond

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Got to see the Church this evening on a baseball diamond. No, it wasn’t a goofy worship stunt. A 12 year old in our Church lost his single-parent mother a few months back. His aunt and uncle have really stepped up to the plate and are doing a great job of taking care of him. Members of the congregation are also instinctively showing their love and support.
This evening he was playing in a little league tournament and I was proud to see one of our elders and his family take a seat right behind home plate to cheer him on. I think we tend to think of “Church” and “Ministry” solely in terms of what takes place either in the walls of our buildings or under the auspices of a board or committee sanctioned by duly elected officers. But the Church ministers whenever Christians share Christ’s love with others. I doubt the family would consider what they did as either Christian or service… which is seems to be the point of Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats “When did we see you?” (Matt 25:31-46) But as James reminds us:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1.27)

Baseball Diamond by Canadian Veggie

Baseball Diamond by Canadian Veggie