Monthly Archives: January 2024
The Necessary Relationship Between the Bible, Theology and “different” church groups
Thoughts which pull me to Jesus, and to His cross.
Many have tried to report on the things that happened among us. 2 They have written the same things that we learned from others—the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message. 3 Since I myself have studied everything carefully from the beginning, most excellent Theophilus, it seemed good for me to write it out for you. I arranged it in order, 4 to help you know that what you have been taught is true. Luke 1:1-4 NCV
The real meaning of the Church, which is far more than a permutational organization, is growing dim and the question is being raised with increasing urgency: After all, should we not recognize the equality of all denominations? There is a growing tendency to downgrade one’s own denomination and so to locate one’s state as a Christian, not in the Church, but, as it were, behind her. With this is combined a predilection for biblicism, that is, for the isolation of the Bible, which is now valued for itself alone, quite free from all ecclesial traditions.
Most heartily we beseech Thee so to rule and govern Thy Church universal, with all its pastors and ministers, that it may be preserved in the pure doctrine of Thy saving Word, whereby faith toward Thee may be strengthened, and charity increased in us toward all mankind.
There was a time, when I was training up for ministry in college and just after, that I believed that denominations were abhorrently sinful. After all, I belonged to a non-denomination church movement that had some great slogans to encourage this! “No Creed but Christ” was one, another was borrowed from the church fathers, “in essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity (love).” We took great pride in our independence from lesser groups that made a stand over what we considered non-essential! A
A problem developed over the years, in order to be more “missional” the list of things that were essential changed. A movement that once had very strong roles for both baptism and the Lord’s Supper saw churches starting to omit both, to give more room for longer sermons. Ordination went from being something that was prepared for, to something that could happen after a weekend retreat.
Eventually, after my own ordination, and serving a church, I ended up moving into a different brotherhood of churches, because I realized my theology had changed as I studied the scriptures. It was not a simple or easy change–but one that took over 5 years–including three years returning to school. Lost a few friends over it, confused many more.
Why was it important? Why not just continue to teach about Jesus where I was – were people cared about me? WHy not just work directly from the Bible, and not care about the differences.
In my devotional reading from Luke this week, I see a part of the answer. I am not an apostle, nor are these posts of mine–or my sermons equal to scripture. But, like Luke, there is a reason for them–to help you know Jesus. That is why the research I do exists, why I spend time struggling with the passages or a verse, so that those reading or listening can know Jesus, and be assured of the promises He makes to them and fulfills in them.
To understand our relationship with God we need to understand scripture–for that is how God reveals Himself to us. That is theology, and often that theology or how it is put into practice is the difference between denominations/brotherhoods, movements. So there should be individually and corporately, a desire to maintain the core beliefs that bring comfort and peace, for we know that God is faithful to those promises.
Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 32.
William Lœhe, Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, trans. H. A. Weller (Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1914), 136.
The Art of Listening to a Sermon/Homily/Bible Lesson
Thoughts which draw us to Jesus, and to His cross
45 I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey your teachings.
73 You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. 74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:45, 73-74 (NLT2)
Though I hear but a human being preach, even as I am human, yet do Thou so rule and govern my mind that I may regard him as the servant of Christ, and hear him as a messenger in God’s stead, for by him Thou instructest me. Therefore, make me to have desire to the word which falls from his lips, and though all that he says may not please me, let me be mindful of other hearers beside me, who may find which I least regard, as most necessary and beneficial to themselves. Meanwhile do Thou Thyself speak within my soul when he speaks to my ears. Cause my heart to burn within me like the hearts of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. Open my heart as Thou once didst open the heart of Lydia, the seller of purple, that I may give heed to what is said unto me. Grant me such measure of grace that I may rightly judge and divide all that Thy servant says: the words of the text which he explains, the doctrine which he draws therefrom, the truth which he thereby shows forth, the errors which he therewith opposes, my own self-examination which he may provoke therein, the sins which he condemns, the good which he commends, the instruction unto godliness which he gives, and the comfort which we may receive against every care of this miserable life. Grant, O God, that I may hear all this with diligence, receive it with joy, understand it rightly, consider it carefully, know Thy will therefrom, feel the power of Thy Word within me, and so, become ever more perfect and ready unto all good works.
In summary, buried beneath our exterior self is a seed of contemplation waiting to grow and flourish. The seed of contemplation within us is a function of God’s deep desire to be in communion with us. Our open and receptive response to this gentle and sweet invitation transforms our life in all ways.
As I read Loehe’s words, a prayer he recorded about preparing to hear a sermon, I thought of how much time we in preparing sermons, from learning how to study scripture, to learning how to write and deliver that sermon. 36 units just in preaching classes, if I include Theology and Bible courses, add another 60-80 units. Not to mention books read, and sometimes reread 16-20 hours a week – 48-50 weeks a year, not talking midweek services! A lot of polishing of student sermons and deacon sermons along the way as well.
And I never gave much thought to how I prepare my people to hear a sermon.
I guess I didn’t consider it the same as medidating on the word of God, which Loehe develops the thought of in the prayer. I know we are proclaiming Christ, and Him cricified as the hope, yet how do we listen, and dwell and let it sing in, as Loehe suggests? is hearing the word proclaimed a form of the mediation that Nolasco desire should flourish? It certainly includes the message of God’s deep desire to be in communion, intimate communion with us!
That is all Psalm 119 is really about – this deep meditation on the word of God – deep as engaging heart and soul as well as mind–the word and the word- enfleshed sacraments causing us to be drawn more consciously into the presence of God, where we dwell.
This is how the word heals, as it is communicated through the lips of broken men like me, and takes up residence in those that hear it.
Oddly enough – that is how our Lord chose to make this work….
May our common meditation reveal the Lord, our Rock, our Savior.
AMEN!
William Lœhe, Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, trans. H. A. Weller (Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1914), 126–128.
Rolf Nolasco Jr., The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011), 51.
A Rant Against Injustice
Thoughts which draw me to Jesus, and to His cross..
15 If you put these people to death all at once, the nations who have heard about your power will say, 16 ‘The LORD was not able to bring them into the land he promised them. So he killed them in the desert.’
17 “So show your strength now, Lord. Do what you said: 18 ‘The LORD doesn’t become angry quickly, but he has great love. He forgives sin and law breaking. But the LORD never forgets to punish guilty people. When parents sin, he will also punish their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren.’ 19 By your great love, forgive these people’s sin, just as you have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
20 The LORD answered, “I have forgiven them as you asked. Numbers 14:15-20
We condemn this wicked idea about works. First, it obscures the glory of Christ when men offer these works to God as a price and propitiation, thus giving our works an honor that belongs only to Christ. Secondly, they still do not find peace of conscience in these works, but in real terror they pile up works and ultimately despair because they cannot find works pure enough. The law always accuses them and brings forth wrath. Thirdly, such people never attain the knowledge of God, for in their anger they flee his judgment and never believe that he hears them.
Shortly after being tortured she was transferred to another cell, where she found a tattered Bible. She opened it, and the first thing she saw was a picture of a man prostrate under lightning, thunder and hail. Immediately she identified herself with this man, saw herself in him. Then she looked further and saw in the upper part of the picture a mighty hand, the hand of God, and the text from the eighth chapter of the Letter to the Romans, a text that comes straight from the center of Resurrection-faith: “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ” (8:39). And whereas at first it was the bottom half of the picture which she experienced, her being invaded by all that was terrible, crushing her like a helpless worm, she gradually came to experience more and more the other part of the picture, the powerful hand and the “Nothing can separate us”. At first she still prayed, “Lord, let me out of here”, but this interior shaking of the prison bars turned more and more into that truly free composure which prays, with Jesus Christ: “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
Injustice, some would say, is in the eyes of the oppressed. They get to consider what is just, and what is not, or at least a neutral court does. And if the court decides there is more oppression the the judgment isn’t right, the cries of injustice increase, and protests and even civil wars erupt.
I cannot find that sort of reaction in the writing of then Cardinal Ratzinger. I think if you asked the lady tortured about injustice, or it’s pseudonym–unrighteousness–you would get a far different attitude. For she found justice, real justice, in the pages of scripture and the etchings in that Bible. (I wonder if it was a Lutheran Bible – and the picture being of Luther’s desperate plea for God to save him.) The justice she found was so satisfying, that she could leave her situation in the arms of God, and welcome His actions, or inactions.
I envy her spiritual maturity….as I deal with my own challenges.
She encountered the love of God that would not let her go… and it didn’t.
And as she grew to depend on Him, His declaration of her righteousness took hold, and she knew peace in the despair.
That is why Melanchthon and Luther and the group around them so fought that injustice could only be defeated by Christ. That His forgiveness was not dependent on my, or the extreme measures I could take to stop sinning, and pay for those I’ve committed. (nor pawn them off on my descendants and friends – who have their own to deal with!) There is nothing I can do to fight injustice in war-torn regions of the world, but pray and try to help them see Jesus’ power to deal with their own sins, and then, they can see the sins of their “oppressors” dealt with as well.
THis is so clear in the passage from Numbers – Israel’s injustice had to be dealt with. They were rejecting God, they were looking to their own wisdom, they were dismissing His care for them. But God, in His mercy, hears the cry of Moses, and forgives them as promised. Why? Because they were His.
As was the lady imprisoned,
As were you and I…
“Apology of the Augsburg Confession: Article IV, 204” Theodore G. Tappert, ed., The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press, 1959), 135.
Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 25–26.
The Only Way to Start the Year….
Thoughts which bring me to Jesus, and to The Cross
The LORD said to Moses, 27 “The Day of Cleansing will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. There will be a holy meeting, and you will deny yourselves and bring an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Cleansing. On that day the priests will go before the LORD and perform the acts to make you clean from sin so you will belong to the LORD.
29 “Anyone who refuses to give up food on this day must be cut off from the people. 30 If anyone works on this day, I will destroy that person from among the people. 31 You must not do any work at all; this law will continue for people from now on wherever you live. 32 It will be a special day of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. Lev 23:26-32 NCV
Happy is the person whom the LORD does not consider guilty and in whom there is nothing false. 3 When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long. 4 Day and night you punished me. My strength was gone as in the summer heat.
Selah
5 Then I confessed my sins to you and didn’t hide my guilt. I said, “I will confess my sins to the LORD,” and you forgave my guilt. Ps. 32:2-5 NCV
36 Finally, it was very foolish of our opponents to write that men who are under eternal wrath merit the forgiveness of sins by an elicited act of love, since it is impossible to love God unless faith has first accepted the forgiveness of sins.
All that exterior activity is a waste if tune, if you lack love. It’s like sewing with a needle and no thread.
What a pity if in the end you had carried out “your” apostolate (mission) and not “His” apostolate.
Every three or four years, I choose a translation to read through that was designed for younger or simpler readers. What benefit usually comes is when familiar “church” words are replaced with words that describe what is actually going on. In this case, the “Day of Atonement” is replaced with the “Day of Cleansing.” The day when all sin is erased, a day of great joy, a day that means, in the truest sense of the word–freedom.
In that moment, in the Mosaic period of the Covenant, all the people of God (Israel AND the foreigners that dwelled with them) could rejoice. Every sin, every bit of its buddies shame and guilt was removed from the people. It was a special day of rest, not because of the hard work prior to it, but because of the great blessing of God’s mercy.
It was, and is today, a life changer. And it should be prepared for with eagerness, for great joy awaits. And then, it should be followed with restful, joyous contemplation, for the weight that has been removed is beyond description.
The cost and consequence of all sin, the incredible burden of shame, the crushing power of guilt…is gone.
And we are free to love–and that love gives meaning and depth to everything we do. And it is good to take an hour, a day, a week, even a year, contemplating our forgiveness, found in our relationship with Jesus.
In these days, in the New Covenant, we have to be careful not to dismiss the “Day of Cleansing.” It is not a yearly occurrence, but one that happens as the people of God gather. as they minister to each other, and when the pastor/priest tells people. “you are forgiven in Jesus’ name.”
If we are to begin a new year correctly, it needs to start with that cleansing and rest. It needs to start with love, and that love requires the freedom that cleansing/absolution/mercy brings to the table.
So find times to think about what you’ve done, how God has healed the brokenness, and how you are made whole. DO this often, and see what God has freed you to do, next.
Godspeed, and God’s peace
Phillip Melanchthon, “The APology of the Augsburg COnfession: Article IV Justification'” Theodore G. Tappert, ed., The Book of Concord: the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press, 1959), 112.
Josemaria Escriva, The Way. no. 967
Hope only is good in the challenging times!
Multiple thoughts – all leading me back to Jesus, and the cross!
Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I should put my hope in God and keep praising him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:5 NCV (repeated word for word in verse 11)
What the Church is underscoring here is more than the ceaseless alternation of dying and becoming, more than the consoling fact that a new generation with new ideas and new hopes always succeeds the old one. Were that all that was being commemorated here, then the Child would have offered no hope for Simeon, but only for himself. But it is more than that; it is hope for everyone, because it is a hope that extends beyond death.
Arise, oh God! display Thy might—
Attend Thy people’s cries;
Since mercy is Thy chief delight,
To show it, Lord, arise:
From earth let all the wicked cease,
And give Thy chosen people peace.
Oh God! how bright shall be that day,
When all our toils are o’er,
And our glad souls shall fly away
To yonder blissful shore:
Oh, how supremely blest are they
Who make the Lord their only stay!
LORD Jesus Christ, our only comfort, our hope, our righteousness, our strength and sure defence, we beseech Thee, kindle in our breasts a fervent desire, hunger, and thirst for that eternal food of the soul,—Thy true body and blood,—that we may gladly and frequently receive the glorious Sacrament in true realization of our sins and strong reliance upon Thee, unto the strengthening and assurance of our souls, until at last life’s pilgrimage ended, we come to Thee in the true Fatherland, to see Thee face to face, and abide with Thee through all eternity. Amen.
Let us, then, labor for an inward stillness— An inward stillness and an inward healing; That perfect silence where the lips and heart are still, and we no longer entertain our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions, But God alone speaks in us, and we wait In singleness of heart, that we may know His will, and in the silence of our spirits, That we may do His will, and do that only!
A lot of my devotional reading this morning reflected the same thought – dealing with sadness, and not being satisfied with the situation we are dealt in life. I have been there, far more often than i share, and i muddle through it, struggling, yet confident that God is somehow at work
The Psalmist’s words hit home in the mist of this paradox, noting not only the depression/despair/angst one dwells within, but the fact they can still find hope in God–and keep praising Him – for He is our Savior.
This was Pope Benedict’s point about Simeon and Jesus. Simeon can die in peace, having witnessed the horrors of Roman occupation, because he knew that the Messiah would not only bless the younger generations, but give the “hope that extends beyond death.” A hope that can be known, even as we are dreading getting out of bed in the morning, or dealing with some trauma or sin – there is still hope there… (if there wasn’t such experiences, why would we need hope anyway?_
Martin Luther takes on the thought – focusing on the joy awaiting us and the fact that God does show us mercy, and brings us peace in the midst of the hurricane–but the greatest joy awaits us in the presence of God the Father, the place we belong, the place assured for us at the cross we are drawn to, and share with Jesus.
The Jesus whom Loehe points out in this incredible prayer, meant to be prayer before the Lord’s Supper. Not because the supper is magic, but it is because that moment is one commanded for us to commune with God. It takes our sin and brokenness, things that crush us, and wipes them away for we recognize Jesus in that moment, His body and blood–and the promise of healing and the assurance that we are welcome in the presence of God. Loehe isn’t some kind of mystic, but the promises of the Eucharist are there to sustain us until this life ends, and we finally find ourselves at home.
Which brings us to Longfellow – and the promises of Psalm 46 – of being still – and knowing God. And we let HIm minister to us, we let Him speak, and we finally listen. “given for you!” “shed for you!”
IN the 20 years I have been a Lutheran, my dedication to celebrating the Eucharist ha only grown, and I rejoice in weeks like this – where i get to share it with more shut-ins, as well as with the church on Sunday morning. For its been a rough week one were the Psalmist’s words I’ve actually used…..acknowledging the brokenness – and more importantly – the hope…..
And so I will praise Him for the hope.
Ratzinger, Joseph. 1992. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl. Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. 1853. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark. London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co.
Lœhe, William. 1914. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller. Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House.
HW Longfellow, “Christus: A Mystery.” Nolasco, Rolf, Jr. 2011. The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Wait! They were allowed to do what?
Thoughts which pull me toward Jesus, and to His cross!
“Tell the people this: ‘If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 that person must take his sacrifice to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the LORD. If he does not do this, he must be cut off from the people. Leviticus 17:8-9 NCV
Oh Holy Ghost! Thy grace impart,
Thy people give one mind and heart;
Stand by us in our final strife,
And bring us safe from death to life.
One who can say “Father” to the Lord of the Universe has a firm foundation for his confidence. The future belongs to him. Why should it not be possible for us to experience, even in our own day, the infectious power of this confidence?
Tucked away in the book of Leviticus, I found an incredible statement that I need to process.
The “foreigner” living in the midst of Israel, probably servants, were able to offer a sacrifice at the tabernacle. The blood that was shed would cover their sin, as well as those who were part of the “family” of God. The implications of this are staggering – for it talks of God finding them as part of the “people”, even if they were not genetically part of the family. They shared the same risk for disobedience, but that means they also shared the same blessings offered–for they are part of the covenant community.
I think about that as I read Martin Luther’s hymn, that God was wanting them included in the group that would have one mind and heart. That He would stand by them, and us, in the midst of strife. That they would know the promise of the resurrection. They are welcomed in that group of people who are able to call God “Father”, they should have the confidence this brings.
This should be noted today as well – there should be no outsiders at church – no “foreigners” – all should be welcomed to come in, and receive the blessings of God. It doesn’t matter where one comes from, it matters where one will be going, and welcoming people into that hope – that is our role. It always has been – even back to the days of Moses.
This is our hope and joy–as we welcome others, as we know we are welcome–we aren’t the outsiders, even if we think we are. No one is, who is willing to depend on God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is excluded, we are all are made part of the family, and our sacrifice ( see Romans 12:1-15) are acceptable to God, for Jesus’s sacrifice!
Martin Luther and John Hunt, The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German, trans. Thomas Clark (London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853), 63.
Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 10.
