tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41984702683116463592024-03-04T23:06:24.960-05:00The Hand That OffendethBPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-36144517595390556832016-03-26T16:40:00.000-04:002016-07-12T16:41:11.116-04:00A Lego Easter<br />
So my wife sent me a link to this video on youtube, which at first glance probably sounds like its going to be hokey, but bear with me. Check out this Lego Easter video, its really good.<br />
Christ is risen indeed!<br />
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<br />BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-5082569719043363042014-04-10T16:34:00.000-04:002016-07-12T16:37:54.444-04:00Easter and Ben Hur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Ben-Hur-chariot-race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Ben-Hur-chariot-race.jpg" height="165" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "zapfhumnst bt";">I remember growing up a number of films that were aired as television specials leading up to or on Easter. One of the most featured Easter films is one of my all time favorites, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ben Hur</i>, starring Charlton Heston. This classic film won eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture (1959), and is famously known for its epic chariot race. </span><br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Wallace_Ben-Hur_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "zapfhumnst bt";"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Wallace_Ben-Hur_cover.jpg" height="200" width="146" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi3m94QJoiu6yJHdbfU6LURh70HaF4lUI5lBupiqJPIEYiQzDmH36u7flsTZLEDjaO2XVySeDF0Q-Wvq_NCN9GhT4lFN5IRk1Z-FKS0xTae9o-_8SwkFM-NCN_M08SpPhY7PEHE08S3PnLdyLkzNfhWCYWrZ1WfYUZ_6MoRGZzL8Cs2URpu6u9oHI3Eotk4ya0=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "zapfhumnst bt";"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Lew_Wallace_-_Brady-Handy.jpg" height="200" width="146" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "zapfhumnst bt" , "sans-serif";">What is often not know about this monumental film is that it is based on a novel, written in 1880 by an American Union general, Lew Wallace, entitled “Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ”. It is the “Tale of the Christ” post-script that catches me off guard. This post script seems ironic since the book is almost entirely about Judah ben Hur (played by Heston), and the ups and downs of his life in first century Roman Palestine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "zapfhumnst bt" , "sans-serif";">And yet Judah’s life keeps intersecting with Jesus’ life. In one of the most moving scenes ever, Judah, who has been wrongfully arrested for a crime he did not commit, is being marched with a chain gang to row as a slave on a Roman warship. Exhausted, beaten, and thirsty, the gang collapses by a well in a village square. The village is none other than Nazareth. The local carpenter walks out, and Judah, who is denied water by the centurion guard, calls out, “God, help me”. A breath later a shadow falls over him, and it is that of Jesus. God answered his prayer, and in Jesus, God reaches down, lifts his head and gives him water. Powerful!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "zapfhumnst bt" , "sans-serif";">So, this Easter I have two Gospel truths for you to contemplate, which come to us from Scripture via the inimitable film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ben Hur</i>. First, on the surface it appears that Judah’s life is going about its ups and downs and he keeps ‘bumping into Jesus’. But the dawning reality by the film’s end is not that Jesus’ life is intersecting with Judah’s, but rather the story of Judah’s life is being caught up in the much larger, grander story of Jesus’ life – The Tale of the Christ, that is, the Gospel. The message of Easter is not, “How can I fit God into my life?” but rather, “Through Christ my life is fit into God’s!”</span></div>
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<a href="http://taylormarshall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Jesus-Joy-Smiling-the-passion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://taylormarshall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Jesus-Joy-Smiling-the-passion.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "zapfhumnst bt" , "sans-serif";">And secondly, Easter tells us that God did not come to earth as a human just to make things out of wood (even if, according to Mel Gibson, they were new, trend-setting tables!). He came to heal a broken world. He came not just to give water to the thirsty, but to <u>be</u> a spring of living water, welling up to everlasting life (see John 4:13-14). And the Well of Everlasting Life is Jesus’ death on the Cross whose cleansing waters rinse away sin and guilt and fear. The Spring of Eternal Water bursting through the dry ground is his Resurrection from the Dead. So this Easter drink the Living Water of our Savior Jesus. And also watch <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ben Hur</i>.</span></div>
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<br />BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-38282360903818169682013-06-17T21:28:00.001-04:002013-06-17T21:28:56.034-04:00Customer Dissatisfaction and Colossians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Customer satisfaction. It’s a given in our culture. Companies and businesses go to significant lengths to ensure their customers are satisfied. If you call with a question you do not speak to ‘customer service’, if you are fortunate to actually talk to a person these days it is with a ‘customer satisfaction specialist’. The reason: satisfied customers come back, and it is a key part of business models and a force in our economy. Satisfaction guaranteed.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Time-magazine-cover-charles-kettering.jpg/220px-Time-magazine-cover-charles-kettering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Time-magazine-cover-charles-kettering.jpg/220px-Time-magazine-cover-charles-kettering.jpg" width="151" /></a>However, there is also a much stronger and much more subtle force at work in our world, one which we are likely unaware. In fact I was not even aware of it until a few weeks ago when a parishioner loaned me a biography of Charles F. Kettering, the innovative and indefatigable inventor and engineer of Dayton, after whom the town of Kettering is named. In this biography, Boss Kettering: Wizard of General Motors, there is a chapter called “Customer Dissatisfaction”. In it, Kettering establishes the concept that the auto industry would succeed financially only if their customers were actually perpetually dissatisfied. Not in the sense customers were to be unhappy with the cars they bought, and certainly not that Kettering wanted to make a substandard product. His point being that the industry needed to tap into people’s desire to want something better than what they already had – to be ‘dissatisfied’ with what they currently owned in order to want the next, newer version. Thus Kettering was instrumental in establishing the auto industry practice of cranking out a new model version every single year. What is remarkable is that Kettering was making these observations and arguments some 90 years ago. </div>
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Kettering’s point reveals that we live in a constant state of dissatisfaction. How many times do we buy something new, not because the current version we have is broken or defective, but simply because a newly innovated, updated version has just come out? Retail therapy anyone? How much energy and resources do industries and businesses put towards sustaining and tapping into our innate sense of dissatisfaction, convincing us we must have things we don’t really need. What I find most striking is that many of us are consciously unaware of this sense of dissatisfaction.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yfyhybPIcTq0GdZQYj5UOIxLSYLVh565gn_DN8eWXSKGyAWNl3EAnhB2-Nmuo2G-2LheNWNTSqWetJ4mOHAkbMx2JxfscnYCgdRwq-XfMSVhoZHnrCF_Mq-w27x_vY2VBW32ohHauhQ/s320/Greek+Myths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yfyhybPIcTq0GdZQYj5UOIxLSYLVh565gn_DN8eWXSKGyAWNl3EAnhB2-Nmuo2G-2LheNWNTSqWetJ4mOHAkbMx2JxfscnYCgdRwq-XfMSVhoZHnrCF_Mq-w27x_vY2VBW32ohHauhQ/s200/Greek+Myths.jpg" width="200" /></a>While this sense of dissatisfaction is readily connected to technology, it is nothing new, nor limited only to </div>
commercial consumption. Religion falls prey to dissatisfaction as we seek newer ways to get a better “God-experience”. Even in the ancient world people were keen to 1-up to the next religious idea or fad. Such was the case in the city of Colossae, to which St. Paul wrote a letter guiding them to not fall prey to the latest philosophies and religious ideas that were part of the first century spiritual stew of the Roman Empire. <br />
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Paul admonishes the Colossians to make sure that “no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition” (2:8). He wanted them to not chase after religious practices and observances to be better Christians, and so feed their sense of dissatisfaction. Instead he urges them to be satisfied with Jesus Christ. In Colossians Paul gives us some of the grandest and richest descriptions of Christ in all the New Testament. “For in him all the fullness of God was please to dwell” (1:19). There is no one greater than Jesus, the God-Man, and nothing sweeter than his Gospel, and yet, as Augustine pointed out, “Our hearts are restless, until they rest in Thee.” Learning to be satisfied in life is a constant challenge, and certainly part of our life of faith we are to learn to be satisfied with God’s saving grace in Christ. During July we will be reading through Paul’s letter to the Colossians. May we heed its glorious presentation of Jesus Christ, and learn from its sacred message to die to our dissatisfaction and trust in and be satisfied with Christ alone – for all else will leave us wanting.<br />
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<br />BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-13909863981416757062013-05-28T16:13:00.002-04:002013-05-28T16:13:28.608-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>Crux sola est nostra theologia</em> – the Cross alone is our theology. This phrase was coined by Martin Luther, the great Protestant Reformer, almost five hundred years ago. Not that the Cross is the only thing Christians ever think about, far from it, but Luther’s point is that a right understanding of the Cross of Jesus (that is, his death, resurrection, and ascension) is essential to understanding Christianity. Luther pointed out that in the realm of ideas, of philosophies, literature, culture, religions and spiritualities, there are essentially one of two stories being told. The first is what he called a theology of glory, which is characterized by the upward struggle of the soul to attain to righteousness. A theology of glory appeals to our own sense of accomplishment, and while admitting we may not be perfect, seeks to spur us on to bigger and better things. When this theology of glory is applied to the Christian Gospel, the result is often simply Good Advice, rather than Good News. It ultimately leads us to ruin because the glory story fails to account for our inability to attain to that which it points, even if what we are striving for is good. <br />
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Contrasting this theology of glory is what Luther calls a theology of the cross. In this story sinners do not climb to heaven, but rather Heaven comes down to earth as a Perfect Person, Jesus Christ, who alone is able to rescue and save sinners. The story of the cross does not appeal to our sense of accomplishment, instead it holds up a mirror to our true nature and reveals out innate need of a Savior. This is at the same time horrible and life giving. Horrible because it shows that, as the old Prayer Book confessions put it, ‘there is no health in us’. It calls a spade a spade. <br />
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It is life-giving because in the Gospel a message is given to sin-sick souls that something has already been done to cleanse, forgive, restore, justify, and ultimately glorify them. The rub is that we sinners had nothing to do with it, and we just don’t like that part! That is why it is by God’s grace. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul declares, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness came through the Law, then Christ died for nothing” (2:21).To put it in Luther’s terminology, if the Glory Story worked, then we have no need of Jesus on the Cross. If we are helpless, and can see our own helplessness, then we have every need of a crucified and risen Savior. <br />
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The cross story creates faith in Christ, the glory story creates faith in ourselves. <br />
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As we enter the season of Pentecost, the longest season of the church year, our worship orients itself to the ongoing work of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Those who are in Christ are led by his Spirit to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, pray together, sing together, live together, and learn together. It is perhaps fitting that during the first part of Pentecost, through June and July, we will be reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians. This short letter is packed with the Apostle’s fiery explanation of the importance of the theology of the Cross. The work of the Spirit of life and freedom brings our life and our story into the story of the Cross, not the other way around (which is the glory story). “For I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live but it is Christ who lives in me; the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave his life for me” (2:20). </div>
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Luther's ideas did not arise in a vacuum, but from reading Scripture and having a gift at distilling the concepts of the Bible in clear terms. If you have never read Galatians, give it a shot. If you have, try reading it again and see if you can track with Paul's thinking regarding a theology of glory versus a theology of the cross. <br /><em>Crux sola est nostra theologia.</em><br />
BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-88500817427642305902012-07-26T12:15:00.003-04:002012-07-26T12:15:26.275-04:00Can't and Can<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I came across a very interesting quote from, of all people, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_ball" target="_blank">Lucille Ball</a>: <br />
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"Knowing what you can't do is much more important than knowing what you can."<br />
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Quite a profound thing to say. We readily hone our skills, know our strengths, and play to those strengths. And while this is all certainly good (who goes to a job interview and hopes to share with their prospective employer what they can't do), I believe one of the hardest things to do in life, and one of the gifts of maturing, is to know with clarity and honesty what you simply can't do, and not live in denial, but to make peace with what you can't do.<br />
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This is true in life as it is true with God. We simply can not by our own efforts commend ourselves to God. A tough pill to swallow, but embracing this reality opens the door to faith in the One who Can. The gap between us and God has not been filled by our efforts, we Can't, but by Jesus who Can. He has met all of God's righteous requirements, has not failed, and loved to the last and paid the price of blood for those who Can't. <br />
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What the Gospel does is it not only frees us from running from our failures, but also through Christ means we no longer are defined by what we Can't Do. Trusting in Christ doesn't mean that you automatically become a superhero who can do anything you put your mind to. What it means is that your are loved in the face of your failure not because you have succeeded. And that will in fact change you. <br />
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Know Thyself, Know Thy Limits. But know Thy Lord.BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-35997668495371334972012-05-30T16:41:00.002-04:002012-05-30T16:47:57.650-04:00How Does He Do That!So for a guy who likes beer, and even brews his own, and is a Mac user (no, not a crazy, over-the-top-Mac-is-my-Master Mac user, I just have a computer that happens to be Mac. And an iPhone. And an iPod. But hey who doesn't these days anway. Where was I. Oh, right, beer). So for a guy who likes Macs and brews his own beer, this video was for me - maybe I should get an iPad after all. Enjoy! <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6a8Eimr-fm0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-59563271486191635162012-01-09T10:21:00.003-05:002012-01-09T11:01:08.105-05:00Cell Phones In ChurchA parishioner sent this to me. Love the concept, not sure how we'd be able to implement it though!<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D2_c81Nnsc0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-75928845230904577182011-08-06T12:01:00.002-04:002011-08-06T12:41:35.688-04:00John Stott: The most influential evangelical you've never heard of<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://christianbooknotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/TCOC.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="http://deanroberts.net/wp-content/uploads/JOHN-STOTT-181x300.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 300px;" src="http://deanroberts.net/wp-content/uploads/JOHN-STOTT-181x300.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Last Wednesday (July 27th) John Stott passed away at the age of 90 in Surrey, England. But who is John Stott and what's the big deal anyway. John Stott was ordained in 1945 as a minister in the Church of England, and has had an enormous influence on Christianity all over the world. He's written over 50 books, ranging in style from popular/devotional to academic commentaries, history and theology. He was appointed Chaplain to the Throne by Queen Elizabeth and founded numerous organizations, many of which focus on global ministry, particularly in the Global South. He spent a good portion of his ordained ministry as the Vicar of All Soul's, Langham Place in London, and was appointed Vicar-Emeritus after his retirement. Here's an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/world/europe/28stott.html?pagewanted=all">article from the New York Times</a> written about his life and death.<div><br /></div><div>But what makes Stott so interesting and his death so notable, is that he represented a type of evangelical very unlike what most of the 21st century West has (sometimes rightly) grown to despise about evangelicals in general: he was incredibly gracious and humble. He was passionate about evangelism and Gospel proclamation, biblical faithfulness, and a global understanding of the church. He met with heads of state, global leaders, and people of influence for seven decades, and did so with poise, humbleness, and tenacity. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sadly, when most people hear "evangelical" they think of 'angry, thoughless, close-minded, fundamentalist'... etc., and unfortunately they don't think of all the things that Stott embodied: thoughtful, exceptionally intelligent, faithful, gracious, and humble, while still maintaining an integrity with his convictions. </div><div><br /></div><div>The category of global evangelical leader is often readily filled with names like Billy Graham, but, to quote the NYT, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:100%;" >For all his fame on several continents, Mr. Stott’s travels and appearances were remarkably devoid of pomp, befitting his simple message of reason and faith and his unassuming demeanor. Those in his ministries knew him simply as Uncle John. In his later years, he lived in a two-room apartment over the garage of a London rectory, and for many years he kept a small cottage on the Welsh coast, where he did much of his prodigious writing in longhand and, until 2001, without electricity."</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I never met Rev. Stott, but I wish I had. I grew up hearing his name and have read many of his books (see below for a list of some of his more well known writings). But I know that he lead, preached, inspired, guided, and formed many thousands of Christians and Christian leaders over the better part of the twentieth century. Most Episcopalians have never even heard of him. So for one of the most remarkable and influential Christian leaders of our time, I bow my head at news of his death, and close with a quote from the President of John Stott Ministries who succinctly and simply sums up Stott's life: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 20px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:100%;" >He imparted to many a love for the global church and imparted a passion for biblical fidelity and a love for the Savior.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 20px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:100%;" >"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 20px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 20px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:'Goudy Old Style';font-size:100%;" >O God, who by thy Holy Spirit dost give to some the word of<br />wisdom, to others the word of knowledge, and to others the<br />word of faith: We praise thy Name for the gifts of grace<br />manifested in thy servant <em>John</em>, and we pray that thy Church<br />may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our<br />Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth,<br />one God, for ever and ever. <em>Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 197)</em></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 20px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:15px;"><br /></span></div><div>Some noteworthy books by John Stott:</div><div><br /></div><div>The Cross of Christ</div><div>The Message of Romans (Bible Speaks Today Commentary Series)</div><div>Basic Christianity</div><div>The Preacher's Portrait</div><div>The Contemporary Christian</div><div>Romans: God's Good News for the World</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://christianbooknotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/TCOC.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-79416275846895842522011-04-22T09:53:00.001-04:002011-06-15T09:58:10.606-04:00Bad Friday?<a href="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/good-friday1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 301px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/good-friday1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong>Good Friday</strong>. What an odd title for such a day as this. For on this day the Prince of Glory was abused and suffered a travesty of justice, a farce of a trial, and was hauled outside Jerusalem like a common criminal. There on a desolate hill appropriately named The Skull he was put to the most shameful and painful death the ancient world had at its disposal. And yet we call this day “Good”. How can that be – should this not be “Bad Friday”?<br /><br />In many respects it is bad, for on this day we see humanity at its worst. God finally arrived on earth as a fully Incarnate man, and the path of his life lead not to victorious glory but a painful, humiliating death. How ironic that the Good of Jesus brought out the Worst in People. Yes, when we look at the cross we see ourselves at our worst – the offense of the Cross of Jesus is that it exposes human sin. Things really are this bad. Judas asked, “Is it I?” who would betray Jesus, and on Good Friday we ask ourselves, “Is it I?” who put him on the cross?<br /><br />But the mystery and power of God’s redemption is that, “By his blood he reconciled us, and by his wounds we are healed” (BCP p. 370, para. Isaiah 53:5). On this bad and terrible day, unbeknownst to all those gathered on Golgotha, God was actually doing something Good. Something he had promised from ages past that would undo all the sorrowful, hurtful, wrong things of this world. God would forgive sins, wash away sorrow and guilt, and begin a New Creation. The offense of the cross is that it exposes human sin – the glory of the cross is that it also washes away human sin. God did all of this out of his great love for us at our worst (not our best!). All it cost was the life of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world </div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-22862117753029176302011-03-07T11:42:00.000-05:002012-07-26T11:53:31.540-04:00Kingdom Power<div>
<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Cor%204:14-21&version=ESV">1 Corinthians 4:14-21</a></div>
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This is the final installment of our series on the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians, and in the closing sermon Part 7 the focus is on verse 20, "For the kingdom of God does not consist of talk but of power." This is an interesting verse because it often either gets overlooked, or way misunderstood. On the one hand many Christians prefer a 'safe' spiritual life, where supernatural things don't really happen, and if they do or ever did, such things don't today. On the other hand is a sense that there is no propositional truth to the Christian faith, there is only experiencing God (whether Pentecostal or some sort of vague new age kind of thing). The idea here pits verbal proclamation negatively against 'power'.<br />
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In this chapter of his letter, Paul is defending his apostolic authority. There were those who objected to his teaching and the Gospel that he preached, and so to undercut him they attacked his position as an Apostle. Paul responds that he is not affraid of their attacks, because he knows that only God can judge him. Besides which, the mark of his apostolic office is that God is working through him and the Gospel with power, not just fancy talk. This is a subtle counter-attack, because he's stating that his opponents do not demonstrate the power of God and rely only on rhetoric and personal attack to establish their authority. <br />
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So what is power? Is Paul talking about being able to bench press 300 pounds? Not quite. In classical physics power is energy working over time; energy is essentially the capacity to do work, a force opperating across a distance. If you push on a wall as hard as you can, and nothing happens, no power has been exercised because the state has not changed. This is what Paul is getting at: when the Kingdom of God shows up, in power, things happen! Things change. <br />
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One of the great displays of power in the Old Testament is found in the life of Elijah, the great prophet. In one event in his life he was taken up from the world in a chariot of fire (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%202:1-14&version=ESV" target="_blank">2 Kings 2:1-14</a>) - talk about making an exit! The other event in his life was the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2018:1-40&version=ESV" target="_blank">1 Kings 18:1-40</a>). Ahab, the evil King of Israel, and his wife Jezebel, had led Israel astray and caused them to worship Baal instead of God. So God sends Elijah to get everyone back on the right track, and Elijah proposes a contest to see who is the real God. Two altars will be set up, and the prophets of Baal will call out to their god, and Elijah will call out to his God, and the true god will be the one who demonstrates their power by setting the altar on fire. Simple. Very definitive in the results. In fact, why any religious debate since then has been settled in any other way is beyond me. <br />
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God demonstrates his power by setting the altar on fire. Everyone saw the power of God manifest in space and time, and they were faced with a decision. They could either try to ignore it or explain it away, or they could trust God and repent and return to Him. We Christians believe that God has in fact acted in a supernatural way in space and time. God's greatest demonstration of his power is in raising his Son Jesus from the dead. You have to deal with that power - either you ignore it or you trust it. Jesus even says to his detractors, hey, you might not like me or what I'm saying, but if nothing else believe me because you've seen the miracles (i.e. the power I've demonstrated). <br />
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A lot of people think that to know or experience the power of God they have to make themselves powerful first. Our theme through this series has been to see, to understand, to realize the gap that exists between the ideal and the actual. Ideally we ought to trust God and experience his power, but the problem is that we are in fact weak, selfish, and lost. To put it another way, we want to be powerful, and can come up with pretty good technieques to help us think we are powerful, but we are in fact weak. The Gospel speaks to this weakness, not to our efforts at power. God says, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." The power of God is for the weak. <br />
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Where in your life do you need to experience the power of God? Where do you need to know God's forgiveness? To be healed? And we do hope that the power of God can and will do something, for God whose power is at work in us is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.<br />
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</div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-79076476281947614352011-03-07T10:43:00.001-05:002011-06-08T15:50:10.354-04:00Kingdom Power<div><br /><div><a href="http://www.avoiceformen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/solar-power.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 232px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.avoiceformen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/solar-power.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>1 Corinthians 4:14-20</strong><br />This is the final sermon in our series on 1 Corinthians. The guiding principle we've used here is that there is always a gap between the ideal things and the actual things, and if we try to fill that gap on our own, we will shred ourselves and those around us. The only thing that can truly fill that gap is the grace of God. In this passage Paul indicates that God's grace, God's kingdom, is not simply a matter of words but of power. </div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.outofwalland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/armchair.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 188px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 189px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.outofwalland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/armchair.jpg" /></a><br />I don't think Paul is merely saying here that "Talk is cheap", as if he were saying that propositional truth is useless and advocates for action only. I think this for two reasons. First, the 'words' he is talking about are those of his detractors, and he is essentially calling them out. If they are right and he is wrong, then they need to back it up with the true power of God and not play 'armchair apostle.' Secondly, we know that the Word of God is indeed powerful - God created the world by speaking it into existence; Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." </div><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/elijah-fire.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 261px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 232px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/elijah-fire.jpg" /></a>The power he is talking about is the visible power of God, manifesting in history. Take for example the Old Testametn prophet Elijah's showdown with the prophets of the pagan god Baal. The showdown was simple: the true god will be the one who sets the altar on fire. Baal guys are up first and they call out and do their mojo and nothing happens. Elijah then step up to the plate, orders some servants to put water on the altar so everyone knows there is no funny business going on, calls on the Name of the Lord...and shazaam! Fire! Lots of fire. The winner: Elijah. The kingdom of God demonstrates itself with power. This is what Paul is talking about. </div><br /><br /><div></div>The Gospel tells us that God works in history, in time with his power so that we might trust in him. Where most people fall flat is this way: they think that in order to experience God's power they have to first make themselves powerful. Jesus' power actually come to those who are weak and in need of him. God says that "My strength and power is perfected in your weakness." How often do we think that "I've got to clean myself up for God to love me." The Gospel tells us that the opposite is true - that the power of God is most present and at work in those who are in most need of him through weakness. </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 231px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 169px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://ramanujan7.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/0614alisongreen-weakness.jpg" />BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-59984060170308465252011-02-20T14:47:00.004-05:002011-04-14T15:38:29.819-04:00Anxiety<div><br /><div><a href="http://maxcdn.fooyoh.com/files/attach/images/613/595/041/005/anxiety_PTSD.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 244px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://maxcdn.fooyoh.com/files/attach/images/613/595/041/005/anxiety_PTSD.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Cor%204:1-13&version=ESV">1 Corinthians 4:1-13</a> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We're almost finished with our series on 1 Corinthians, as Epiphany winds down. This week's sermon is Part 6. The governing big idea has been that there is always a gap between the ideal and the actual. We all know what we're supposed to do, say, think, and feel, but we never actually do, say, think, and feel them. The consequence of this gap is that if we try to fill it with our own efforts is that we will shred ourselves, and likely those around us. In this passage of chapter 3, Paul is calling out those who have criticized or doubted his authority as an apostle. He says to them that he's not worried about their judgment of him, because God alone will judge him. God will bring to light that which is hidden, and thus we ask, "By what standard will we be judged?" </div><br /><div></div><a href="http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x2713357/two_business_people_anxiously_waiting_42-16460401.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 284px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x2713357/two_business_people_anxiously_waiting_42-16460401.jpg" /></a> <br /><div>The answer to this is found in today's reading in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:24-34&version=ESV">Matthew 6:24-34</a>, where Jesus points out that you and I will not be judged by all the things we aquire, NOR by how much we strive for and/or are anxious about such things. Jesus asks, which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life. All anxiety does is indicate your allegiance to worldly provision of your needs, not to God's provision of your needs. God gives the birds of the air food and clothes the flowers of the fields in beauty - how much more so, Jesus states, will God provide for us who are worth much more than birds and flowers. Now, most of us don't wake up in the morning and struggle with questions of basic subsistence, what will I eat or what will I wear, but there are absolutely people in our community who do. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="left">But while we might not be in a day and age that is dominated by severe matters of basic subsistence, we do know all too well what it is to be anxious. We worry about the pending results of a medical exam/test, we worry about the big presentation at work, we worry about the stability of a relationship. The reason we are anxious is ultimately because we are relying on worldly answers to present themselves, because if we truly trusted in God we wouldn't be anxious. Essentially Jesus is showing us that anxiety is sin. </div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 81px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.whscarlisle.com/images/icon-request-test-results.jpg" /> <br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">But is the answer then to say, "Have you tried just not being anxious?" No! Because that certainly doesn't work! Furthermore, I don't want to make light of the serious things that keep you up at night. What we do need in the face of our anxieties is not to deny its there, but assurance. If you knew the results of your pending test results, would you be anxious. No, you wouldn't. However, God' doesn't promise full disclosure of the outcome of all our anxious issues. God doesn't promise to take away the things that cause us to be anxious, but he does say, "Do you trust me?" The answer to anxiety is faith, and Jesus will give us assurance in the face of our anxiety. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.io.com/~kellywp/YearA_RCL/Epiphany/AEpi8_RCL.html#GOSPEL">The Collect for today</a> asks that God would save us from "faithless fears and worldly anxieties" and we ask God to help us to "cast our cares on you who cares for us." There is really no simple formulaic answer to our anxieties - perhaps it would be nice if there were. All I can do is point you to Jesus Christ, tell you to trust in him and cast your cares on him, for he cares for you. </div></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-30025965496715172402011-02-13T15:58:00.001-05:002011-04-05T15:07:15.175-04:00Mature Christians<div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjupqVaptY3y4aR6OHx9Ow-3_zt4_HabapkYffhGraruwDgn4eXE3XjVUk9lMdtkxhwafKuQOrj33f2cXsrMuMffjVVepRq6LOje4JYbIbwexKlFMikDoTVmhrdubfjJ9MoLMZ-1aIVbc/s1600/maturity.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 301px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 229px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjupqVaptY3y4aR6OHx9Ow-3_zt4_HabapkYffhGraruwDgn4eXE3XjVUk9lMdtkxhwafKuQOrj33f2cXsrMuMffjVVepRq6LOje4JYbIbwexKlFMikDoTVmhrdubfjJ9MoLMZ-1aIVbc/s1600/maturity.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%203:1-9&version=ESV">1 Corinthians 3:1-9</a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Our ongoing series on 1 Corinthians continues with <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2011/02-13-11-1CorSeries5-MatureChristians.mp3">Part 5 </a>. This sermon ties in closely with the Gospel reading for today, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mt%205:21-37&version=ESV">Matthew 5:21-37</a>. Paul is talking about maturity: the Corinthians think they are very mature in their faith, but the reality is they are not. How are they immature, and what does true Christian maturity look like?</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Paul uses the analogy of food to describe maturing. Babies drink milk, adults eat solid food. In <a href="http://www.chicagoreader.com/images/blogimages/2010/01/13/1263409299-milk.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 98px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 124px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.chicagoreader.com/images/blogimages/2010/01/13/1263409299-milk.jpg" /></a>the life of faith, there are the simple basics, the "milk" of doctrine, and there is a more sound grasp and growth in being a Christian, "solid food". Paul says that he'd love to treat them as mature, but he has to talk to them as infants. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We should note, that part of being mature Christians means that we very regularly and readily go back to the basics of our faith, of Christ and him crucified (which we talked about last week). But this is different from never getting beyond the basics, where we never go any deeper to wrestling with the deeper questions of faith and the claims of Christians. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwgNoDF6mP754o5XQWRS0hSYGtE_3fVy7gGFYJY4OW27M_NnovyaLzlcgHJiSgFx5mK1IFRHCfr7RcZvyFrKDqxuC7ZX9zu7iKSiSzsOUJlcIr7QrnWyXZ0TdGwV8C-bowLFqOXPMnMFK/s1600/Ten+Commandments+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 198px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 227px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwgNoDF6mP754o5XQWRS0hSYGtE_3fVy7gGFYJY4OW27M_NnovyaLzlcgHJiSgFx5mK1IFRHCfr7RcZvyFrKDqxuC7ZX9zu7iKSiSzsOUJlcIr7QrnWyXZ0TdGwV8C-bowLFqOXPMnMFK/s1600/Ten+Commandments+2.jpg" /></a>So what does it mean to mature in Christ and our faith? We'll answer this by looking at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Jesus says repeatedly the phrase, "You have heard it said..." and then adds, "...but I say to you...". So, for example, he says, "You have heard it said...do not committ murder." Here he's quoting from the 10 Commandments. Most people breath a sigh of relief, thinking, well I'm OK because I've never killed anyone. "But I say to you...whoever is angry with their brother is liable to judgement." Is Jesus making the commandment to not kill easier or harder? Jesus does the same with adultery, and applies the commandment not merely to our behavior, but to the state of our hearts. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>In the Collect for today, we prayed that God would enable us to follow his commandments in will <em>and</em> in deed. It's good that you haven't actually killed someone, it's good that you haven't cheated on your wife, but in your sinful heart and mind you have. We need God to change and heal our hearts and wills to bridge the gap between the ideal and the actual. The law can not change our hearts, only the grace of Jesus Christ can. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So what does Paul mean by 'maturity'? If the Sermon on the Mount does anything it shows us the chasm in our lives between the ideal and the actual, and that a truly mature Christian is more aware, and not less, of this gap. As time goes on and our relationship goes deeper, we become <em>more</em> aware of our need for Jesus, not less. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The longer you are married to someone, are you more or less aware of their faults? More! Since it's St. Valentine's day, we note that when you first meet someone and fall in love, it's very hard to notice or imagine their faults. But as time goes on that changes. What a mature, healthy relationship requires is grace and forgiveness as a couple deals with those faults that are always being exposed. It is the same with us and the Lord. God will show to us our shortcomings, but will also point us again and again to the One who fills that gap. Grace causes the facade to come down. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 221px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 136px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://marriagejunkie.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/fighting-couple.jpg" /></div></div></div></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-60048008451380698432011-02-06T11:56:00.004-05:002011-04-05T12:23:31.324-04:00Christ And Him Crucified...<div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_AfFaI3kPPBNbs769PZdTbN3thNBfzf1MNN2gn9qUxbbjr6XTmnSc5W6-fq5UK2zPWHq1o1edaK_bKsTeVh6RZOlPvtkLInVgYdRKe8vZEgeFC06pLw8S9fBldhWFEX3EqfXC4776G4/s400/Christ+crucified.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 174px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_AfFaI3kPPBNbs769PZdTbN3thNBfzf1MNN2gn9qUxbbjr6XTmnSc5W6-fq5UK2zPWHq1o1edaK_bKsTeVh6RZOlPvtkLInVgYdRKe8vZEgeFC06pLw8S9fBldhWFEX3EqfXC4776G4/s400/Christ+crucified.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%202:1-12&version=ESV">1Corinthians 2:1-12</a> </div><br /><div>This sermon from Feb. 6th is <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2011/02-06-11-1CorSeries4-ChristCrucified.mp3">Part 4 in our series on 1 Corinthians</a>. We've been using the concept of the gap between the ideal and the actual as we walk through this remarkable letter. The key verse we'll be looking at is verse 2, where Paul states, "I desired to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified." Paul reminds the Corinthian church that when he first arrived and began teaching them, not many of them were wealthy, or wise, or powerful according to the standards of the world. And he did not visit with a slick, polished, "wise" message intended to wow them, but rather he came with a message, i.e. the Gospel, had a power that actually did something to them and for them. And they had forgotten that. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.oism.org/nwss/nw156a.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 220px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 155px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.oism.org/nwss/nw156a.jpg" /></a>Paul is chipping away at their misperceptions to expose the root problem, so that he would then show them the truth. If someone can't or won't acknowledge that they have a problem (be it an addiction, or an abusive relationship, or whatever), then there's really not much you can do for them. So Paul reminds them of their weakness when he first came to them, and their need to get back to basics. Let's unpack this powerful verse. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.treehugger.com/wilson-simple.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 184px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 145px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.treehugger.com/wilson-simple.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>"I desired to know nothing among you..." There's something that is extremely simple about the Christian Gospel. This simplicity is very attractive, and part of what draws us back to church week in and week out. Very few people visit with me an complain that their lives are too simple. Quite the opposite: our lives are so often way to complex and busy, and what we long for is periods of rest, refreshment, and simplicity. Paul is bringing these Christians back to the very plain and simple truth of the Gospel. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/1971/1101710621_400.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 111px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 138px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/1971/1101710621_400.jpg" /></a>"...except Jesus Christ..." And this Gospel is not a philosophy, not a method of living, nor an system of emotional highs and lows, but it is all about a Person. Simple. What you and I need week in and week out is not to reconnect with an emotion, not an idea, but with a real, live, Person. Jesus is alive today, do you know him? Or more appropriately, does he know you? If the verse ended here, then we would have a very simple message, rooted and grounded in a Person. But it doesn't end there. The difinitive part of knowing Jesus Christ is 'him crucified.' </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>"...and him crucified." Why make this such a central point to Jesus. He was such a nice guy, can't we just remember his teachings, why the cross? If all we have to the Gospel is the Person of Christ and the need to be like him, then we must ask, "Just how much like him are we?" There's that gap between the ideal and actual again! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.ioffer.com/img/item/426/921/41/steelers.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 182px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 140px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.ioffer.com/img/item/426/921/41/steelers.jpg" /></a> Today is Super Bowl Sunday, I'm a big Steelers fan, and here's something a good friend of mine <a href="http://gracevanvorst.blogspot.com/2011/01/self-knowledge-and-steelers.html">wrote in his blog </a>abou the Steelers. He said he's looking forward to the game, but is reluctant to watch it at the church with his congregation becasue he doesn't want them to see what he's really like when he's in front of a Steeler's game. <br /><div>We all wrestle with the idea that if peopel really know what I'm like then they wouldn't love me. And so we long to cover up what we're really like. If the Gosepl were simply, "Be like Jesus" then all we would do is be forced to further cover up what we're really like. But because the Gospel is "Jesus Christ and him crucified", it is intended for you to be laid bare to be healed. Jesus didn't come to be an example to follow, he came to be a propitiation for my sins! And by doing so I am enabled to be real with my sins, not cover them up. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>That's we like to be around good friends. Because we feel like we can 'be ourselves' around them. We like to be with people who know and love us because they know our shortcomings and such grace causes us to be free, not to be bound and covered. How many of us can open up and be real with the people we are sitting with in church? How readily can you let the facade drop and be vulnerable, and confess and be healed. </div></div></div></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-39873940307817527392011-02-01T09:53:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:56:25.481-04:00Truth & Wisdom<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%201:18-31&version=ESV">1 Corinthians 1:18-31</a> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%201:18-31&version=ESV"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 186px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 142px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://extraordinaryinc.com/rich/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Seek-Truth.jpg" /></a> Last week we looked at the church and the Gospel with the concept of Foolishness & Power. In this sermon from Jan. 30th, <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2011/01-30-11-1CorSeries3-Truth&Wisdom.mp3">Part 3 of our series on 1 Corinthians</a> we build on the immortal verse: "for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but for us who are being saved it is the power of God"(1Cor 1:18) . In this sermon we'll take a look at truth and the gap/disparity between what is true and what we think is wise. Or, to be more specific, wrestling with the question, "How do you know that the things you take to be true in life, are actually true?" (FYI, the fancy-schmancy word for wrestling with this question is 'episitimology'). <a href="http://www.corbisimages.com/images/572/9C145D8B-44FB-4B1F-933D-5586F8100FAE/42-16397648.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 126px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 326px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.corbisimages.com/images/572/9C145D8B-44FB-4B1F-933D-5586F8100FAE/42-16397648.jpg" /></a> We make decisions and declare words or actions to be wise base on what we know to be true. In the biblical world, the Israelites determined things to be true by miracles and power - the Greeks used wisdom, i.e. philosophical wisdom, as the plumb line for truth. In Paul's letter he challenges the Corinthians on what they know and take to be true. The question sticks for us today: what plumb lines do we use to determine truth. Success is very often our plumb line today. If something is successful then the things that drive its success must be true. What are some other plumb lines for truth in our culture today? Here's some food for thought. If an astronomer tells you about some new planet in a far off galaxy that has just been discovered, you believe them, don't you. But when you go to a park and see a bench with a sign on it that says "Wet Paint", what do you do? You walk over and have to touch it, just to make sure! We don't believe the sign that simply says Wet Paint, but we do believe the astronomer who tells us something that most people have absolutely no way of evaluating/testing whether it is legit or not. Is this not a bit topsy turvey? It is, because it challenges what we know to be true. <a href="http://sandboxworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/How-I-Killed-Pluto-and-Why-.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 174px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 284px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://sandboxworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/How-I-Killed-Pluto-and-Why-.jpg" /></a> Here's another illustration of the odd and interesting ways we determine truth. <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mike-brown-the-astronomer-who-slayed-planet-pluto-2177993.html">Mike Brown</a>, an astronomer, discovered in the '90s what was thought to be the 10th planet in the solar system, outside the orbit of Pluto. For years astronomers have wrestled with the definition of what is actually a planet, and at a huge international astronomers convention in Prague, the topic was to be on the table to settle the definition once for all. If the finalized definition was such that Pluto was axed from the list, then by default Brown's new planet would also be axed. Naturally, folks thought Brown would be in favor of a traditional definiting which would keep Pluto, and consequently his planet, in the list. But he supprised the international community when he published a book called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Killed-Pluto-Why-Coming/dp/0385531087/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301410346&sr=1-1">How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming</a>" in which he argues against Pluto's planethood on the basis that scientifically it is not a planet! What is really telling about this whole story (don't worry, there's a reason homing in here!) is that at the astronomer summit they passed a resolution that in fact affirmed there are only 8 planets, but then passed a sub-resolution stating that this was based on the classical definition of planets - then they put the whole thing to a vote! There's a gap here between truth (Pluto is not a planet) and the sentiment of intelligent, able scientists who like Pluto and don't want to axe it from the list. If international scientists can do that, then we certainly can do the same in our own lives. The point is this - that knowing something to be true is ultimately dependent on faith. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qEi7QF784dLxGRPSRmBVQctTB4AYHTeo20QBRbBLfTO8Uee8oqan4jJ-pfEjMHSur6ErLQR0MuZFpwSYo5GMjnEFqj9VKBn-pwlINFjNPnmVkGoHgQrlsFrSYE6AXEO-x4morNZ5etY/s200/Trust+and+Love.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qEi7QF784dLxGRPSRmBVQctTB4AYHTeo20QBRbBLfTO8Uee8oqan4jJ-pfEjMHSur6ErLQR0MuZFpwSYo5GMjnEFqj9VKBn-pwlINFjNPnmVkGoHgQrlsFrSYE6AXEO-x4morNZ5etY/s200/Trust+and+Love.jpg" /></a>How do you know someone loves you? Surely there are signs and actions, like buying gifts, romantic dinners, taking care of household duties, but people can also fake it. How do you really know that they love you? Ultimately, you have to simply trust that they do. If you doubt the love of your spouse, taking them to a lab to be tested is a very bad idea - it will backfire on you! So this is sound wisdom: that knowing things are true isnot ultimately based on scientific inquirey, 'touching the wet paint', but on faith. Paul points out to the Corinthian church, that when most of them came to know Jesus Christ, very few of them fit the world's "wisdom" in terms of their success, status in life, their intelligence, etc. Did they fit the world's categories of truth? No. But this is good, because if a relationship with God depended on the wisdom of the world we'd all be sunk. It is to the meek that the world will be given (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205&version=ESV">Matthew 5:5</a>). Worldly wisdom says that humble people don't get anything, they become doormats, but God says that those who don't fit the world's plumb lines are the one's that he comforts. That is why the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, those who strive to fit the world's models of wisdom, but for those who are being saved, who trust in Jesus, the Cross is the power of God. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 345px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://jmendham.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/acheivement.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 308px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 145px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwHaw7eWuHy8nRKIGq71wjWQAvK6FCeV7Xtnmey6UIM-h_W0I1nrDz4M_5Sc_DtAqzKc0rbDDYDFzhNXTuAJgSLkPHPA4tkcaW3Sed1k1h3CVpdET3ILuMyFSNjjEgR6R0_Me9UTov6M/s1600/cross.jpg" />BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-92038756367121569322011-01-26T11:06:00.003-05:002011-01-26T16:45:24.645-05:00Interesting: "The Last Word"This video was posted on Vimeo by a friend of a friend, who wrote, produced, directed, and even appears in this dramatic video short. I think it was a project for a film class, and I really liked it. Gritty, insightful, a tad slow-moving, but superbly scored, it really draws you in, and I love the closing statement.<br /><br />Take a look and then I'll give you my two cents worth below.<br /><iframe height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15984689?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" frameborder="0" width="400"></iframe><br /><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/15984689">The Last Word</a> </p><br /><p>So what is this short film about? Essentially about the power of love, particularly when love, as opposed to hate, has the last word. The clip from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the end was given in his "A Time to Break the Silence" speech about the Vietnam War. The partuclar line of love being the 'last word' is a quote he makes of Arnold Toynbee. Here's the broader text of that speech:<br /><a href="http://www.writespirit.net/inspirational_talks/political/martin_luther_king_talks/martin-luther-king2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 347px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.writespirit.net/inspirational_talks/political/martin_luther_king_talks/martin-luther-king2.jpg" /></a><br />We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate. As Arnold Toynbee says: "Love is the ultimate force that makes for the saving choice of life and good against the damning choice of death and evil. Therefore the first hope in our inventory must be the hope that love is going to have the last word." </p><div><p align="left">(Click <a href="http://www.mlkonline.net/vietnam.html">here </a>for the full text of this speech of Dr. King's, with the audio recording of it)<br /><br />In this short film, the first 'word', that is the first set of scenes, is violence, fear, lonliness, and pain. The second set of scenes shows what happens when love has the last word. Violence is abrogated, lonliness is offset, fear and pain find reconciliation and restitution. </p><p align="left">In the realm of Christian theology, there are <a href="http://www.thetwowords.com/The_Two_Words/TheTwoWords_with_Jacob_Smith_and_Sean_Norris/TheTwoWords_with_Jacob_Smith_and_Sean_Norris.html">Two Words</a>, Law and Gospel. There is the first Word from God, that of Law, and the Second Word from God, that of Love (or Grace). The First Word of Law reveals what God declares to be right and wrong (it is wrong for a person to assault another, for example). It also reveals human behavior to be radically short of keeping that law. Specifially, the First Word exposes the violence, lonliness, fear, and pain in our world and lives for what they really are.<br /><a href="http://gnesiolutheran.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/holbein_testament.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://gnesiolutheran.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/holbein_testament.jpg" /></a><br /></p><p align="left"></p><p>The Second Word, the Word of Love/Grace, speaks to the crushing weight of our plight and does not tell us what to 'do', but indicates to us what God has already 'done'. Grace shows us that God has taken upon himself the violence, fear, evil, and shame of our world. He has donel this of his own initiative, for his purposes, and as indicative of his wondrous nature, not , as <a href="http://m1mk-iae-loreal.blogspot.com/">L'Oreal</a> claims, "Because I'm worth it!"<a href="http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/marianne-paskowski/2009/02/17/LOrealBecauseYourWorthItScr.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 291px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 158px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/marianne-paskowski/2009/02/17/LOrealBecauseYourWorthItScr.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /></p><p>So this film, while clearly not explicitly Christian, it is underpinned by very strong Christian ideas, whether intentionally or unintentionally so. Discuss amongst ya-selves.</p></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-68359428010855241222011-01-25T10:41:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:55:56.554-04:00Foolishness & Power<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%201:10-18&version=ESV">1Corinthians 1:10-18</a> This is the <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2011/01-23-11-1CorSeries2-Foolishness&Power.mp3">second installment of the sermon series on 1 Corinthians</a> from January 23rd. The overarching idea for this series on the first four chapters of this magnificent letter is that there is always a disparity in real life between the ideal and the actual. <br /><div align="left">On one had are the things we know we should be thinking, saying, feeling, and doing, and on the other are the things we actually do, say, think, and feel. The message of the Gospel is that the thing which fills this disparity gap is power and grace of Jesus Christ- if we try to fill it ourselves we will tear ourselves and those around us apart. </div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.youdontknowjersey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/gal_ralph_bunny_suit.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 170px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.youdontknowjersey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/gal_ralph_bunny_suit.jpg" /></a>Often the way we fill the gap between the ideal and actual is with good intentions. How often have you heard the saying, "It's the thought that counts"? Now, there is nothing wrong with good intentions, but they will only get you so far, and assuring yourself with the maxim, "It's the thought that counts" really works with the odd Christmas present. In ongoing, regular life such a mentality becomes toxic.</div><br /><div align="left">For example, in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163025/">Jurassic Park III </a>(yes they made a third one), there is an incident when Dr. Grant's assistant Billy steals some veloca raptor eggs and consequently they are hunted by the angry dinosaurs who want their eggs back. When Grant (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000554/">Sam Neill</a>) discovers<a href="http://www.stardusttrailers.com/gallery_film/(060409135653)jurassicpark_III_5.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 336px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 227px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.stardusttrailers.com/gallery_film/(060409135653)jurassicpark_III_5.jpg" /></a> the theft as the cause of this hounding, he confronts Billy, who justifies his actions by claiming he thought Dr. Grant would like the specimens and that he had good intentions when he did it. To which Dr. Grant replies with the immortal words, "Some of the worst things imagninable have been done with good intentions."</div><br /><div align="left">And so it is for us. Good intentions will not and can not fill the gap between what is ideal and actual. </div><br /><div align="left">Now, with this in mind, we're going to take a look at the Corinthian church: the church with "Issues." In particular, the first Issue that Paul addresses is divisions in the church. -pause...put on shocked face- </div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/infant_baptism-pope.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 328px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 283px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/infant_baptism-pope.jpg" /></a>Yes, there was once a church that didn't get along with itself. What was causing the rifts was essentially a form of self righteousness. One group thought they were pretty special because so-and-so baptized them, verses the other group who were proud to name such-and-such as their 'favorite apostle.'</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">People will always find ways to commend themselves over and against each other, and try to do so with God. This is what Paul calls foolishness. It makes sense to the ones doing it, but their 'wisdom' is in fact foolish, because there is really nothing that we can do to commend ourselves to God.</div><br /><div align="left">What Paul does care about, is their trust in the cross of Jesus Christ. Is is Jesus alone who has the power to commend us to God the Father, and we are in him by virtue of our trust in the power of his shed blood to cleanse us of all self-righteousness (i.e. sin). Thus Paul says, "I desired to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified. </div><br /><div align="left">On the cross God did something very foolish. Foolish in the eyes of silly little humans like us. He died for the unworthy. When God came to the earth he didn't show up to open a self-help shop, he didn't come to raise an army of bedraggled volunteers to <a href="http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/aerosmith/eat_the_rich.html">'eat the rich</a>' (Aerosmith),<a href="http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-07/art/swfu-force-lightning.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 362px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 172px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-07/art/swfu-force-lightning.jpg" /></a> he died. That's not what we want our cosmic blessing pinata to do. We want God to fix stuff for us. We want God to be cosmic IT support. We want him to have Sith lightning and dazzle us. This is human 'wisdom'. But Jesus died. That's not what we expect. But Paul sets us straight and says our view is foolish, but God is his wisdom, demonstrates his love for the ungodly. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">God poured out his grace not to help and validate the righteous, but for those who were dead in sin. As the <a href="http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/e/herelove.htm">hymn </a>so beautifully puts it, "Here is love vast as the ocean, loving kindness as a flood; when the Prince of Life our ransom, shed for us his precious blood. Grace and love like mighty rivers, poured incessiant from above; and heaven's grace and perfect justice, kissed a guilty world in love." <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9EeW55ck398f2f6rLub_7DkdtVFwG62wSiFEQXd5jG-sbXAIiklKvq9xD5v7jG3jjI-QOI2PPUELBjvFtTAX2xNN9ezSFgPrpP1wQhdC-K82t8rbbrkDjJrqDtwE9O9UU5yg1jQSDqjD/s320/the_blood_of_Jesus.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9EeW55ck398f2f6rLub_7DkdtVFwG62wSiFEQXd5jG-sbXAIiklKvq9xD5v7jG3jjI-QOI2PPUELBjvFtTAX2xNN9ezSFgPrpP1wQhdC-K82t8rbbrkDjJrqDtwE9O9UU5yg1jQSDqjD/s320/the_blood_of_Jesus.png" /></a></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-86554155554837120372011-01-16T15:59:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:49:15.877-04:00The Distance between Ideal and Actual<a href="http://i48.tinypic.com/f1m592.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 336px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 264px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i48.tinypic.com/f1m592.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%201:1-9&version=ESV">1 Corinthians 1:1-9</a> This <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2011/01-16-11-1CorSeriesIntro-IdealVsActual.mp3">sermon </a>from January 16th marks the start of a new series on the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians, which we'll be studying through to the end of February. The governing idea for this series is this: there is always a distance between the ideal things and what actually is. There are always the ideal expectations that we have for all kinds of things, there are always ideal demands on behavior and on systems and governments. Think about campaign time in politics. We vote leaders in primarily based on the ideal platform that they present, and then spend the next few years frustrated at them because what actually happens is not what was promised. Think about relationships, especially marriage. When I counsel couples who are preparing to get married, the number one issue that we have to address is expectations. All married couples enter into the covenant of wedlock with very different and sometimes extremely high expectations about what their marriage will be like and what their spouse will be like. Sometimes the distance between the ideal adn the actual is huge, sometimes it is small. But is is always there. What about Christians. Why is it that some of the rudest, most difficult people you will meet are Christians? Ideally, Christians are to be loving, joyful, faithful, generous, kind, gentle, and excellent. In actuallity, Christians are rarely anywhere close to this (here's an interesting trailer for a documentary called, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJRvUtL2H58&feature=related">Lord, Save Us From Your Followers</a>.") <iframe class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qJRvUtL2H58" frameborder="0" width="540" type="text/html"></iframe><a href="http://www.ebibleteacher.com/imagehtml/images/800x600/Corinth%20Athens%20800.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 309px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.ebibleteacher.com/imagehtml/images/800x600/Corinth%20Athens%20800.JPG" /></a> If ever there was a Church that had a huge distance between the ideal and the actual, it was Corinth. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Cor%205:1-2&version=ESV">According to St. Paul</a>, they did stuff that even the pagans didn't do! Corinth sat on a major overland trade route that connected the Aegean and Adriatic seas. It was weathy, ecclectic, big, and debauched. It had, to use a therapeutic term, "issues". Like, issues with a capital "I". Like George Costanza type issues. <a href="http://www.collegebound.net/articleimages/tinyupload/cb-misc/george-costanza.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 234px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.collegebound.net/articleimages/tinyupload/cb-misc/george-costanza.jpg" /></a> And yet, when Paul writes to them he begins his letter by calling them, "the saints in Corinth...who are sanctified in Christ." What's going on with that?! How can such aweful people be addressed in such a way. Was Paul delusional adn pollyanna-ish, or was he ignoring or downplaying their issues? Certainly not, because he lets them have it for 15 chapters. The Gospel of Jesus Christ speaks to this distance between the ideal, that is our justified/righteous status through faith in Christ, and the actual, that is our struggle against sin and the very subjective state of our day to day holiness. Luther referred to this reality in the phrase: <em>simul iustus et peccator</em> - 'at the same time righteous and sinner.' <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 123px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/Pursuing_Truth/simul_justus.jpg" /> So what fills the gap between the ideal and the actual? What fills the void between what we ought to do and what we don't do. Certainly, if we try to fill that gap on our own we will destroy ourselves. There are people who are driven to perfection: they see the ideal and they want it. And they will step on or push aside anyone to get it. Sometimes this pursuit of perfection is all about money. Sometimes power. Sometimes sex. And the list goes on. And the first thing that will be damaged if you try to pursue the ideal on your own is your family, because they will always fall short of your ideal. And so you will get frustrated and angry and squash them. <a href="http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/BU009697.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=EDF6F2F4F969CEBDFF19A6BBFBC04E4AA08D0D8950607B401C0B283FEA35E292"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 244px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/BU009697.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=EDF6F2F4F969CEBDFF19A6BBFBC04E4AA08D0D8950607B401C0B283FEA35E292" /></a> No, it's not ourselves that fills the gap. It is only the grace of God which fills that gap between the ideal and the actual. Paul says that he gives "thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus." God's love of the unworthy, the people who are trapped in actual, comes through his gracious gifts and his power to sustain them through their lives and be presented to God in the end as blameless.BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-32372551429013272742010-12-19T10:44:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:54:53.691-04:00Advent 3 Sermon - Humble Worship<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fc/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Last_Crusade_A.jpg/220px-Indiana_Jones_and_the_Last_Crusade_A.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 175px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fc/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Last_Crusade_A.jpg/220px-Indiana_Jones_and_the_Last_Crusade_A.jpg" /></a>In the fantastic film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/">Indian Jones and the Last Crusade</a>, Indy has to find the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Grail">Holy Grail</a>. In order to do so he must pass three traps of extreme cunning and danger. The secret to passing the first trap is the sacred verse given him by his father, "Only the penitent man shall pass". Indy makes it through by realize that a penitent man is humble before God and kneel's (thus avoiding the spinning slicing blades of death). <br /><div>In this sermon from the <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2010/12-12-10-KnowingWorship-Advent3.mp3">Third Sunday of Advent </a>we look at preparing ourselves for worship through being humble. The Rite 1 liturgy is steeped in language and prayers which leads and causes the worshipper to be place in a position of humbleness before God.</div><br /><div>Indeed, one can not go through this service and say the things we say and do the things we do, and in all honesty not have a stance of humility and need before God. This stands in opposition to our natural propensity which is that of God owing us our due, or that we are inherently worthy of God's kindness and attention. </div><br /><div><a href="http://www.strategicbusinessdesigner.com/images/Arrogance.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 190px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 197px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.strategicbusinessdesigner.com/images/Arrogance.jpg" /></a>Instead, the heartbeat of Anglican prayer is summed up in the Prayer of Humble Access: "We do not presume to come to this Thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Thy Table; but Thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy..."</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>You see, God, in all his glory and power and wonder, humbled and emptied himself and came to the earth as a human baby. Not a baby in a palace in fine linen, but a baby in a food trough. What then, does humility look like for us?</div><br /><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis">C.S. Lewis </a>points out that true humility is not an athletic person pretending to be clumsy, nor an intelligent person pretending to be dumb (because such pretending is falsehood, and thus can not be truly humble). Instead, he argues that true humility is the one who comes before God and does not look left or right. True humility stands before God 'as is', not as-we-are-relative-to-someone-else.</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 183px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 157px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://reflectionsofamirror.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/im-humble1.png?w=300&h=308" />The humble person is the one who recognizes their unworthy nature and their utter need of God's mercy and kindness. The humble person does not presume anything, but simply trusts in the promise of Jesus, that he came to seek and to save the lost. That he came not for the righteous nor the healthy, but for the sinner and the sick. <br /><div>Like a football lineman who prepares for every snap of the football by getting in a three-point-stance, true worshippers prepare to come before their Lord through a heart filled with humbleness. </div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 269px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/77239014.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921E86F5CE8BE5D78FBAF6DD0B9F0F0D08B1639A28B5827C315D11503B7DD28682A" /></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-37427272129981840402010-12-14T16:20:00.004-05:002010-12-14T16:45:17.297-05:00A Picture Says A Thousand WordsI usually get a lot of emails containing 'inspiriational' messages, stories, and headlines. Some are funny, some are milquetoast, most are not worth the time it takes to read them. During this Season of Advent and Christmas I tend to get even more inspiring emails. That's why I was extremely relieved when my buddy sent me the following picture with the caption: "You really know you've screwed up when...". This has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, but I love <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman">Batman </a>and ironic boneheadedness, and this picture captures both with spectacular simplicity. Sorry Jack, your <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/">Joker</a> was just soooo 1989. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000180/">Heath</a>, RIP.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 310px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550652344399492610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDFDGgNeBfkaK74kWcQVUtSFKquA4oZavrpiVMzQcKirDgSh_-d8fkNXvB31UuNO5DbywXvuThSqjfj4MueHNjuKSVlDHeK7pauuJwSo4OvZgJz8W7jtCpBWtPILOCTwtJGnuGC6Tauh0/s200/Joker-YouScrewedUp.bmp" /><br />Sort of the equivalent of asking <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000007/">Sean Connory </a>to sign a picture of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000549/">Roger Moore</a>. In the fan's defense, the actors in question wore makeup for the film - very confusing! The picture illustrates the sort of fuzzy, muddled thinking which is so pervasive. It might go something like this: "I like Jack Nicholson, and I know he played the Joker. Here is a picture of the Joker. Therefore the actor in the picture must be Jack Nicholson." The sequence of logic is sound, the premises on which it is based are severely flawed. <br />This is all assuming, of course, that the fan in question is an idiot. He very well may have done this on purpose, in which case I would tip my hat for bravery in incurring the wrath (or at the very least, scorn) of Mr. Jack "Remember-that-I-was-in-<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/">The Shining</a>" Nicholson.BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-30748825220199382072010-12-12T14:57:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:55:05.489-04:00Advent 2 Sermon - Matters of the Heart<a href="http://insidetech.monster.com/nfs/insidetech/attachment_images/0007/4682/heart-on-fire.jpeg?1269785986"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 291px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://insidetech.monster.com/nfs/insidetech/attachment_images/0007/4682/heart-on-fire.jpeg?1269785986" /></a>Continuing in our Advent Season, this <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2010/12-05-10-KnowingWorship-Advent2.mp3">sermon of the Second Sunda</a><a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2010/12-05-10-KnowingWorship-Advent2.mp3">y of Advent</a><a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/BEN/SermonAudioWeb/2010/12-05-10-KnowingWorship-Advent2.mp3"> </a>takes a look at the central concept of the heart - in life, in worship, in love and obedience to God. <br /><div><br /><div>When the Scriptures talk about the heart, and when our prayer book uses "heart" or "heartily" (we <em>heartily</em> thank thee...) what are they referring to? Not merely the cardiac muscle in our chests that pumps blood, but rather the heart is the core of who we are. If I say, I love you with all of my heart, I mean that I love you with all that I am and have, to the very core of my being. This is the heart of a person, and out of the heart flows the drive of our desires, the impetus for our thoughts, and the motive of our actions. "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" - Jesus (Matthew 12:34-35).</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Bible consistently teaches that a person's heart is naturally not good, but instead is corrupted and inherently selfish. While humans are created in God's image, they are Fallen and sinful, and need redeeming. Without God's intervention people's hearts are:</div><br /><ul><br /><li>such that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen%206:5-8&version=ESV">Genesis 6:5</a>)</li><br /><li>deceitful above all things and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9) </li><br /><li>corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good, not even one (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2014:1-3&version=ESV">Psalm 14:1-3</a>)</li><br /><li>the source of evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mt%2015:17-20&version=ESV">Matthew 15:18-20</a>)</li></ul><br /><p>(See also: Genesis 8:21; 1 Kings 8:46; Proverbs 20:9; Romans 1:21, 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10)</p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 140px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 113px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://musicalstewdaily.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/broken_heart_by_starry_eyedkid-1.jpg" />What you and I need is a new heart. What Christians have, for millenia, called regeneration, and what Jesus called, being born anew (or born from above, or born again). From a new heart flows love, obedience, generosity, forgiveness, and peace. This transformed life is characterized by what St. Paul called the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gal%205:19-26&version=ESV">fruit of the Spirit</a>. </p><br /><p>But here's the catch: in this life the transformation of heart and mind and soul and body is not complete. We are reckoned (<em><a href="http://www.mockingbirdnyc.com/Mockingbird/2010_Conference_files/WordMadeVerb.pdf">logizomai: imputed</a></em>) righteous through faith in Jesus, and while our hearts are regenerate, there is still the sinful nature present. Thus for the faithful Christian, being born again is not the end of the battle against the selfish corruption of the heart, but rather the beginning!</p><br /><p>This is where our liturgy speaks. It understands the corrupt heart and the power of God to forgive and justify. Those who wrote our prayers understood that the Christian life is first and foremost one of repentance, because it is in repenting that we are kept honest about our own shortcomings, weaknesses, and sin, and also kept focused on the completed work of Jesus Christ for our salvation. Remember, Jesus came to seek and save that which is lost, he came for the sinner not the righteous, for the sick, not the healthy.</p><br /><div>The language of our <a href="http://www.bcponline.org/">Rite 1 liturgy </a>is full of "heart" language. No less than 13 times do we express the term "heart" or "heartily": Almighty God, to whom all <em>hearts</em> are open...cleanse the thoughts of our <em>hearts</em>...we are <em>heartily</em> sorry for these our misdoings...lift up your <em>hearts</em>...we <em>heartily</em> thank thee...keep your <em>hearts</em> and minds in the knowledge and love of God...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://static-p3.fotolia.com/jpg/00/05/60/34/400_F_5603497_DhbLw9BMequYjQWYnP3XOFPKGLkNX4Fb.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 219px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://static-p3.fotolia.com/jpg/00/05/60/34/400_F_5603497_DhbLw9BMequYjQWYnP3XOFPKGLkNX4Fb.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Ours is worship not merely of the mind (cerebral) or of the eye (asthetic) but of the heart. If you come to church in worship and God does not do something to your heart, then what are we doing here!? Know this: </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>What the heart desires, the will chooses, and the mind justifies. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Our worship this Advent, and truly year round, is intended by the Holy Spirit to work on our hearts.</div></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-13948795992296124992010-12-06T15:18:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:51:57.156-04:00The Feast of St. Nicholas<a href="http://cecdominicans.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/st-nicholas-of-myra.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 213px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 216px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://cecdominicans.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/st-nicholas-of-myra.jpg" /></a>Yesterday was December 6th, as date so many of us are familiar with, or at least are whether we realize it or not. For me it marks the anniversary of my ordination (pause for applause...), but it is also St. Nicholas' Day. That's right, we celebrate and remember jolly old Saint Nick on December 6th. Ironically, most people end up celebrating Saint Nick on December 25th (to be read with biting cynicism). It's unfortunate that this remarkable man is so overlooked as he ought to be regarded, and unfortunate that our culture has gladly made Christmas more about him than about Jesus Christ - a fact of which I'm sure would cause the real St. Nicholas to roll in his grave. But what do we know about this man? How did he go from <a href="http://www.roca.org/OA/5/5m.htm">St. Nicholas </a>to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus">Santa Claus</a>? Nicholas was born to wealthy Christian parents in Asia Minor in the <a href="http://www.andrewcusack.com/net/wp-content/uploads/stnick990c.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 189px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 149px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.andrewcusack.com/net/wp-content/uploads/stnick990c.jpg" /></a>third century (c. 270 AD), and became the Bishop of Myra. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myra">Myra</a> was a harbor city on the Mediterannean coast. He is mostly regarded in the Greek Orthodox Church as the patron saint of sailors and fisherman, and is credited with being in attendence at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea">Council of Nicea </a>in 325 AD. One story surrounding his sainthood involves the miraculous increase of a shipment of wheat which he convinced imperial sailors to offload at Myra. He died on December 6th, 343 AD, and so his feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death. Many stories and legends surround this interesting man, perhaps the most important one for us in the US has to do with his gift-giving to children. While there are a variety of versions, there are two that particularly lend influence to the Western tradition of Father Christmas. One story <a href="http://www.fete-enfants.com/noel-enfants/noel-enfants-images/calendrier-avent-06/saint-nicolas-05.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 111px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 135px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.fete-enfants.com/noel-enfants/noel-enfants-images/calendrier-avent-06/saint-nicolas-05.gif" /></a>invovles an evil butcher who murders three children during a severe famine, but Nicholas sees through the butcher's treachery and miraculously resurrects the murdered children from the barrel containing their remains. The second story involves a poor man's three daughters, who cannot afford to marry and face a life of prostitution. Nicholas, wishing not to expose the family's predicament, goes to their home at night and leaves three bags of gold coins for the daughters to get married. In a variation on this story, he drops the coins down the chimney. If this is starting to sound familiar, it should. These saintly legends form the backdrop for our modern, American Santa Claus. It is interesting to note that in 1087, Myra was under seige from invading Muslim armies, and Italian sailors transferred (or stole, depending on whose side of the story you take!) Nicholas' remains to protect them and interred them in a church in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bari">Bari</a> in southern Italy. Nicholas' notoriety spread from there along with his patronage of giving gifts to children. The Dutch called him Sinterklaas, from which we derive the name Santa Claus (Santa=Saint; Claus is a truncation of Nicholas). I find the transformation over the years of Nicholas into Santa Claus to be both fascinating and saddening. I truly loathe the gluttonous debacle that Christmas has become in our country. Although, I suppose department stores wouldn't have sales at midnight on THANKSGIVING (!) if they thought no one would show up. But they do. In droves. Pathologically feeding our insatiable desire to buy, and justifying it by claiming 'good will' and 'the Christmas spirit'. The real Nicholas gave because of his love for the greatest gift of all, the Son of God given to humanity. Some say his inspiration for giving came from the wise men who brought gifts to the infant Jesus (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%202&version=NIV">Matthew 2:1-12</a>). So here's the rub: do we give at Chrsitmas because we simply love to buy things, or do we give because we love the Son of God who was given to us? St. Nicholas vs. Santa Claus...there kahn bee only wan (in best <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lambert">Christopher Lambert </a>voice). <br /><p align="left"><a href="http://dclips.fundraw.com/zobo500dir/pg_17630-saint-nicholas.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 154px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://dclips.fundraw.com/zobo500dir/pg_17630-saint-nicholas.jpg" /></a>VS. <a href="http://www.fun-with-pictures.com/image-files/saint-nicholas.png"><img style="WIDTH: 143px; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.fun-with-pictures.com/image-files/saint-nicholas.png" /></a> </p><br /><div align="center"></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-37409961040281587902010-11-28T16:45:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:52:33.014-04:00Advent 1 Sermon - Light & Dark<a href="http://dailyoffice.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/advent_wreath.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 271px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 237px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://dailyoffice.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/advent_wreath.jpg" /></a> During <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent">Advent </a>this year at <a href="http://www.stgeorgeohio.org/">St. George's </a>I am doing a sermon series on the doctrine and ideas which undergird our Episcopal worship and liturgy. Many are drawn to the beauty of liturgical worship in our church, and we certainly have a remarkable heritage in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer">Prayer Book</a>. However, being drawn to the beauty of liturgy is one thing, but not knowing what your are saying/praying and why is another. I grew up in the Episcopal Church, but it wasn't until my late twenties that I began to learn about the theology, the doctrines underneath the liturgy. <br /><div><br /><div>I will be posting very brief recaps of my sermons here over the next few days, as well as including links to the online audio for them. So here's the gist of the First Sunday of Advent:</div><br /><div>Advent is a season where images and language of light and dark become more prevalent. This fits the actual changing of seasons, the days are getting shorter, the nights longer, and the world is getting colder.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidY_PbIFsgDwnVL_vTqSnUdD-Ihyphenhyphen1yS8obCQ8tDO8H3iDXjVNnO6BiqTxwPr7qtUdZpKxWd8HKNWKJIL57eF1qEncAz4GvfxTlr0EQSHNEkmgzOxZAjEiGcsAxsuL4axg5iGwKG2btbOXG/s1600/St.+Augustine+4.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 139px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 191px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidY_PbIFsgDwnVL_vTqSnUdD-Ihyphenhyphen1yS8obCQ8tDO8H3iDXjVNnO6BiqTxwPr7qtUdZpKxWd8HKNWKJIL57eF1qEncAz4GvfxTlr0EQSHNEkmgzOxZAjEiGcsAxsuL4axg5iGwKG2btbOXG/s1600/St.+Augustine+4.jpg" /></a>Our prayer, our first <a href="http://www.bcponline.org/">Collect for Advent </a>asks that we might 'cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.' This is a direct quote from <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom%2013:11-14&version=ESV">Romans 13:12-14</a>, the passage that had a profound impact on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo#Christian_conversion">St. Augustine </a>some 1600 years ago. Part of this Bible verse indicates that although the night is far gone, the day is at hand. As Christians we know that true light has come into the world as the Lord Jesus Christ, thus it is no longer night, or at least midnight. But we also know that we don't live in full sunshine, that is, we await the return of Jeus Christ when the world will be made new and perfect. He will be like the sun shining on us, warm and pure. that is our hope. But he is not yet here, and so we live as if in the predawn hours. The night indeed is far gone, we eagerly await the Sunrise. </div><br /><div>This is the life of the Christian, and this is what characterizes Advent. We await the coming, i.e. the Advent of Christ in glory, primarily by remembering and celebrating his first advent in the flesh as a baby. Thus Advent is the the 'predawn light' season of the church year. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>And how do we 'put on Christ' and walk in the light? By trusting in Jesus, having faith in him. As St. Paul wrote, the Gospel is the power of God for all who are saved, because in it the righteousness of God is revealed, from beginning to end by faith."</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 219px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000fVfEsWjjT3c/s/750/080818-SeaKayak-BrokenGrp-Vancouver-299.jpg" /></div>BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198470268311646359.post-76503480385720443312010-11-22T14:40:00.000-05:002011-03-29T15:54:26.384-04:00Back in the SaddleThis post represents a return to the blogosphere after nearly a year's hiatus from posting to "The Hand". But what a year its been! 2010 began with discernment as to the next season of life and ministry, and will now come to a close with me being the new Rector of St. George's Episcopal Church in Dayton, OH. It is my hope that this blog, started years ago, will become a resource for both the congregation and the wider community, as well as a discussion starter, and a suppliment to my teachings on Sundays at the church. As you may have noticed, the title of my blog is inspired by Thomas Cranmer, one of my great personal heroes. It was with sublime delight when I accepted the call from St. George's that I discovered a stained glass window in the Church's narthex of none other than Cranmer himself. Not only that, but the image depicts his martyrdom, from which his remarkable statment was given, 'This hand hath offended' and from which my blog derived it's title. It only made sense to then share this beautiful window with the vast readership who subscribe to my blog ;-). Sola fide!BPhillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10881567362578180719noreply@blogger.com0