Wednesday, April 02, 2014
Noah
One thing that immediately struck me was the polarity if the reviews of Noah. It's been either praised or panned be folks across the spectrum. Barbara Nicolosi from Patheos provides her review here.
Tuesday, April 01, 2014
A Compline Prayer
From the Book of Common Prayer...
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
Songs that "Get you"
Admit it, there's a song that gets you and sticks with you. Being someone who seems to be touched by music, I can say that there are several songs that touch me on many levels.
I'm going to throw something out on my Facebook page about Evocative songs, asking people to share the songs that have touched them the most. For the sake of the discussion, here are my two most evocative songs. One is a contemporary worship song and the other is a hymn.
I'm going to throw something out on my Facebook page about Evocative songs, asking people to share the songs that have touched them the most. For the sake of the discussion, here are my two most evocative songs. One is a contemporary worship song and the other is a hymn.
Insight from Father Matt Kennedy
Father Matt Kennedy, who've I've shared on this site before posted a thought tthis morning that struck me as being especially profound.
There were two things that struck me in this thought. The first was the symmetry between the six days of creation and the six hours of the redemption. The second was the six hours that it took the Romans to execute the Christ.
Prior to its abolition in Britain, a judicial execution was accomplished in about 30 seconds. John Bull's hangmen were swift and lethal. An american execution, whether by Electrocution or Lethal Injection in accomplished in under ten minutes. Once nailed to the cross, our Christ languished a full 360 minutes suspended between Heaven and Earth as the propitiation for our sins.
In six hours, Jesus endures damnation for everyone who believes. My hell. Your hell. Notice that the two thieves live on longer than he does. Is there any significance to six hours? Mark is careful to record it. There can be no dogmatism here, but let us merely observe: God, through his Word, creates all things in six days. And then he rests. Sin enters, followed by Death, hatred, misery, ruin. But here, outside the walls of the camp, in six hours God, through his Word, makes all things new. New Creation. And then he rests.True to Facebook form, there were those on Facebook who tried to start a pie fight by nitpicking. Father Matt gently stated that this was an observation, not a doctrinal proposition.
There were two things that struck me in this thought. The first was the symmetry between the six days of creation and the six hours of the redemption. The second was the six hours that it took the Romans to execute the Christ.
Prior to its abolition in Britain, a judicial execution was accomplished in about 30 seconds. John Bull's hangmen were swift and lethal. An american execution, whether by Electrocution or Lethal Injection in accomplished in under ten minutes. Once nailed to the cross, our Christ languished a full 360 minutes suspended between Heaven and Earth as the propitiation for our sins.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Re-imagining "Three Streams"
It's the middle of March and there is snow in my yard. What remains of Monday's snowstorm will likely be gone this evening as the temperatures will be in the mid-forties and accompanied by rain. It's been a long winter and I'm ready now for spring.
At the start of my Anglican pilgrimage, I became acquainted with the term "Three Streams". For those who don't speak "Anglicanese", this term is shorthand, representing what many believe are the three traditions influencing Anglicanism, namely Catholic, Evangelical, and Charismatic. I found this intriguing as one who had left a Pentecostal church. Along the road, I would also learn that this concept is far from being universally accepted within the tradition. It's also interesting to see how the BTU levels rise in online discussion forums on Facebook when the concept is raised. Most recently, I witnessed this at the passing of Father Terry Fullam, a leader within the Charismatic Renewal movement within the Anglican Church back in the 1970's.
We could play a quick round of word association with each term. At the mention of Catholic, many might associate this to ritual, "bells & smells" or the like. Evangelical may link to thoughts of Protestantism, conservatives, or bibles. Charismatic? You may be thinking of boisterous demonstrative worship, or even aberrant theologies. In my experience with these discussions, Charismatic has been the most problematic. In fact, some have vehemently denounced the very notion that there could somehow be a Charismatic component to our dignified pipe smoke-imbued, tweed-cloaked Anglican traditions.
It may surprise some to learn that I share many of the concerns over what is being passed off as "Charismatic worship". It was one of the driving issues that prompted my departure from a Pentecostal denomination over a decade ago. This is a discussion for another day though. So, onto the discussion...
We are catholic in our expression. Not Roman Catholic, not Anglo Catholic, but catholic. We are a branch on an ancient and eternal vine that is Christ's bride, His church. We were conceived in the mind of God in eternity past and born 50 days following the resurrection of the Christ. We didn't come into being in the Tudor courts or even at the tables in the White Horse Inn. Our life as a church was born in the words of the Great Commission and set into motion as Saint Peter uttered those words, "Men of Jerusalem...".
Our catholicity is also reflected in the sense that our lines are unbroken. Unlike the Anabaptistic churches which separated and reinvented, our Anglican forerunners dressed the branch by pruning and reforming where it was clearly necessary. And, our catholicity is reflected in our creeds. We confidently state that we believe in "One holy catholic and Apostolic Church". I've seen and heard individuals stumble at this point, sometimes substituting the word "Christian" for catholic, or just refraining from the c-word altogether.
This catholic stream defines who we are, we are the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not the only church but a visible expression of an invisible body, mystically married to the Lord of eternity.
Part II -- The Charismatic Stream
Part III -- The Evangelical Stream
At the start of my Anglican pilgrimage, I became acquainted with the term "Three Streams". For those who don't speak "Anglicanese", this term is shorthand, representing what many believe are the three traditions influencing Anglicanism, namely Catholic, Evangelical, and Charismatic. I found this intriguing as one who had left a Pentecostal church. Along the road, I would also learn that this concept is far from being universally accepted within the tradition. It's also interesting to see how the BTU levels rise in online discussion forums on Facebook when the concept is raised. Most recently, I witnessed this at the passing of Father Terry Fullam, a leader within the Charismatic Renewal movement within the Anglican Church back in the 1970's.
We could play a quick round of word association with each term. At the mention of Catholic, many might associate this to ritual, "bells & smells" or the like. Evangelical may link to thoughts of Protestantism, conservatives, or bibles. Charismatic? You may be thinking of boisterous demonstrative worship, or even aberrant theologies. In my experience with these discussions, Charismatic has been the most problematic. In fact, some have vehemently denounced the very notion that there could somehow be a Charismatic component to our dignified pipe smoke-imbued, tweed-cloaked Anglican traditions.
It may surprise some to learn that I share many of the concerns over what is being passed off as "Charismatic worship". It was one of the driving issues that prompted my departure from a Pentecostal denomination over a decade ago. This is a discussion for another day though. So, onto the discussion...
We are catholic in our expression. Not Roman Catholic, not Anglo Catholic, but catholic. We are a branch on an ancient and eternal vine that is Christ's bride, His church. We were conceived in the mind of God in eternity past and born 50 days following the resurrection of the Christ. We didn't come into being in the Tudor courts or even at the tables in the White Horse Inn. Our life as a church was born in the words of the Great Commission and set into motion as Saint Peter uttered those words, "Men of Jerusalem...".
Our catholicity is also reflected in the sense that our lines are unbroken. Unlike the Anabaptistic churches which separated and reinvented, our Anglican forerunners dressed the branch by pruning and reforming where it was clearly necessary. And, our catholicity is reflected in our creeds. We confidently state that we believe in "One holy catholic and Apostolic Church". I've seen and heard individuals stumble at this point, sometimes substituting the word "Christian" for catholic, or just refraining from the c-word altogether.
This catholic stream defines who we are, we are the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not the only church but a visible expression of an invisible body, mystically married to the Lord of eternity.
Part II -- The Charismatic Stream
Part III -- The Evangelical Stream
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