There are two words in the Nicene Creed that are incredibly misunderstood, neglected, and just not appreciated by modern man. I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And invisible. No other word of the Creed does more damage to the way in which we in the West tend to think today than this - invisible. We are taught, we are trained, we are raised to be happy little scientific thinkers whose grasp on reality is limited to merely what we can see, touch, measure, quantify, or experiment upon - and our understanding of the world revolves almost solely around our theories about these visible things, and our experiments to study them, and even our wild theories about how to manipulate them.
We are obsessed with the visible things of the world, to the neglect of the invisible. And why? Because we think we can be masters of the visible. Whether this is true or not, the idea is that we can progress, that through technology and advancement we can master the physical, visible world around us. Better living through technology, medicine, chemistry, and the like.
Now, far be it from me to say that all this is bad. Much of it is good - the open heart surgery for one of my members yesterday - good. TV that lets me watch sports from miles away - good. The transportation grid that brings me foods from around the world so that even Caesar would be jealous - good. The laptop upon which I type this. . . good. However, we neglect things.
First, we can forget that the visible falls apart. That very laptop that I said was good -- well, it is falling apart. 3.5 years old -- the battery is sort of shot, the plastic casing hasn't endured well, sometimes the hard drive is more noisy than it should be. . . it is not long for this world. Even though it is good, it is a blessing -- it, like everything else in this world, is also... bad. Falling apart. To be slightly overdramatic . . . it is DOOMED.
Now, this is a visible reality, that things all fall apart, which we like to ignore in our scientific splendor (or at least pretend we can fix... oooOOOooo, if I get a shiny new Mac Laptop with a metal case, it will live longer. . . Longer ain't forever). This itself shows a failing our of our modern approach.
But it's more than that. And invisible. So often we do not even consider the realities of the spiritual - the things that we do not see with the eye, the things that we cannot judge. I think it's interesting that Jesus tells us not to judge our neighbor -- this isn't just a matter of Him saying, "be nice" - He's telling us this because it is impossible. I can weigh a bag of rice - do I weigh the goodness or wickedness of my neighbor's heart. While I may see results, do I see the thoughts that led to the actions which came. Am I in any position to judge, to evaluate that which I cannot see? Of course not.
We ourselves are partially invisible - we are beings of both Body and Spirit - and we forget this. And we have been trained to ignore the spiritual - to neglect it, to not think of it as real. And of course, dealing with things that are totally spiritual - angels, demons, all the host of heaven joining in our song - these things aren't even considered. Often, even in the Church.
I can't *see* forgiveness (well, actually, since Christ knows you like to see, He does give you pastors whom you can hear and see forgive you, and He does give you His Supper, which is forgiveness that you can see, feel, taste, smell) - and so often in many "Churches" it is neglected - ignored so that we might find more toys, more "blessings" that simply fade and decay and are forgotten.
We neglect the spiritual - because we are trained by our society to forget the spiritual. But you, O Christian, have been called out of the darkness of the world, and to you it has been given to see all of reality, visible and invisible, by the Light of the World, Christ Jesus, who makes you to see your sin and your Savior, who makes you aware of not only this life, but the life of the world to come. Rejoice and delight in these things that though invisible, you now know, confess - that you who were blind now see.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Turn the Question around.
In the comments of the previous post, the question was turned on its ear. What of people who say that they get nothing out of Contemporary Worship - how would I respond to them. What follows is my response.
Well - if you say you get "nothing" out of the service and the Scriptures are read and the True Body and Blood of our Lord are distributed to you - what have you called these gifts? Are they not more than the vessel in which they are contained.
I think a better critique of contemporary services are not that they bring us nothing... but that they bring us so much less than they could - that they are often misfocused, misguided, and frustratingly inefficient at delivering God's gifts - for why should those gifts resound only at the reading of Scripture, at the distribution when if we simply used the historic liturgy things would be so much more Christ centered.
So, I suppose to one who thinks that there is nothing in a contemporary worship service (note - service, not just the concept and approach underlying CW), I would advise that person to actually be focused on where Christ is, and not just where He isn't and could be.
Otherwise - we fall into the same trap that the supporters of CW do. Are we basing our statements on the reality of what is said or our own thoughts and judgments of what we like? Is what I get out of the liturgy based on the fact that it gives me Christ... or I like its setting.
I love a chanted Divine Service. That is not the custom at my church. Am I getting less than I could -- while some would say yes or perhaps, I will say no. I receive Christ, just not with the dignity I would prefer - oh well, the Church is not based upon my preference. However, if I were to say I get nothing out of it. . . then there would be serious error and problems on my part.
But, an excellent question -- and one that needs to be asked. Often we who are "conservative" do not like to be measured by the very same measure we measure it out.
This does strike home with one of the things I have noted, and where I can often stand out from many whom I respect. The liturgy is important not for its own sake, but because it gives Christ. As for its dignity, worth - I am not bothered by that. The question I must ask is does it provide Christ. Therefore, I can conceive of historic forms being abandoned.
I just can't see how practically speaking that would be done properly. Although freedom allows for it -- why would freedom call for it? Why would something of such foundational identity be abandoned so whimsicially, especially for such selfish reasons as "I don't like it, it doesn't speak to me"
The historic liturgy is not adiaphora, it is not indifferent - but nor is it a mandatum, a sine non qua. It is what it is, a wondrous tool and treasure - and we would be wise to follow the advice of our fathers - we retain what may safely be retained - we retain what does no violence to the Gospel.
My qualms with contemporary worship is never that you "can't" - just that it is so often utterly foolish too. But I also worry that in our zeal against those acting the fool that we do not make a false idol, a mandatum non verum of the liturgy.
Of course, I think whenever there is an abuse, we tend to idolize it's opposite. Today, children are aborted, and many make idols of their children. Motherhood is despized, and thus we make an idol of motherhood (ora pro nobis, nunc et. . .).
I suppose in the early I would say many sought to avoid persecution, and the martyrs were made idols.
We are the middle way, the narrow path, eschewing the broad road on either side. Be wary of you might slip either way.
Well - if you say you get "nothing" out of the service and the Scriptures are read and the True Body and Blood of our Lord are distributed to you - what have you called these gifts? Are they not more than the vessel in which they are contained.
I think a better critique of contemporary services are not that they bring us nothing... but that they bring us so much less than they could - that they are often misfocused, misguided, and frustratingly inefficient at delivering God's gifts - for why should those gifts resound only at the reading of Scripture, at the distribution when if we simply used the historic liturgy things would be so much more Christ centered.
So, I suppose to one who thinks that there is nothing in a contemporary worship service (note - service, not just the concept and approach underlying CW), I would advise that person to actually be focused on where Christ is, and not just where He isn't and could be.
Otherwise - we fall into the same trap that the supporters of CW do. Are we basing our statements on the reality of what is said or our own thoughts and judgments of what we like? Is what I get out of the liturgy based on the fact that it gives me Christ... or I like its setting.
I love a chanted Divine Service. That is not the custom at my church. Am I getting less than I could -- while some would say yes or perhaps, I will say no. I receive Christ, just not with the dignity I would prefer - oh well, the Church is not based upon my preference. However, if I were to say I get nothing out of it. . . then there would be serious error and problems on my part.
But, an excellent question -- and one that needs to be asked. Often we who are "conservative" do not like to be measured by the very same measure we measure it out.
This does strike home with one of the things I have noted, and where I can often stand out from many whom I respect. The liturgy is important not for its own sake, but because it gives Christ. As for its dignity, worth - I am not bothered by that. The question I must ask is does it provide Christ. Therefore, I can conceive of historic forms being abandoned.
I just can't see how practically speaking that would be done properly. Although freedom allows for it -- why would freedom call for it? Why would something of such foundational identity be abandoned so whimsicially, especially for such selfish reasons as "I don't like it, it doesn't speak to me"
The historic liturgy is not adiaphora, it is not indifferent - but nor is it a mandatum, a sine non qua. It is what it is, a wondrous tool and treasure - and we would be wise to follow the advice of our fathers - we retain what may safely be retained - we retain what does no violence to the Gospel.
My qualms with contemporary worship is never that you "can't" - just that it is so often utterly foolish too. But I also worry that in our zeal against those acting the fool that we do not make a false idol, a mandatum non verum of the liturgy.
Of course, I think whenever there is an abuse, we tend to idolize it's opposite. Today, children are aborted, and many make idols of their children. Motherhood is despized, and thus we make an idol of motherhood (ora pro nobis, nunc et. . .).
I suppose in the early I would say many sought to avoid persecution, and the martyrs were made idols.
We are the middle way, the narrow path, eschewing the broad road on either side. Be wary of you might slip either way.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Ask them what is wrong with them?
I am going to posit a hypothetical situation that pastors know is all too plausible. A young man walks in and says to his pastor, "I'm just not getting anything out of our service."
How do pastors respond? We often make ready our defenses - because more than not what is coming is an appeal for change, that we need this or that in the service, that my own sermons need to be more X, things like this. These defenses we all have, we can all make them.
And I don't wonder if they don't miss the target.
If someone says "I don't get anything out of the service", I don't need to defend the liturgy. It is what it is, and it is not diminished in the slightest by this person's observances. I don't need to consider and examine the worship service.
I need to find out what is wrong with the person talking to me.
Have we thought about responding to "I'm not getting anything from the service", especially from someone who should know better, with the simple question - "what then is wrong with you? If you know that this is Christ Jesus being present for you, then what has bewitched you that you could think this was 'nothing'?"
Of course, I don't think this is a new idea. Isn't this was Luther does with his 20 Christian Questions at the end of the Catechism? But what if I feel no hunger for the Sacrament - then consider who you are and what the Scriptures say of you.
Why don't you get anything out of it? Don't you know what it is? If it is what it is, what are these thoughts that you are having?
We say it, but we so often forget it. I have sinned against You in thought... thought, word, and deed.
Perhaps we do need to think a bit more about our thoughts being evil - and talk about this more, so people are aware of it.
How do pastors respond? We often make ready our defenses - because more than not what is coming is an appeal for change, that we need this or that in the service, that my own sermons need to be more X, things like this. These defenses we all have, we can all make them.
And I don't wonder if they don't miss the target.
If someone says "I don't get anything out of the service", I don't need to defend the liturgy. It is what it is, and it is not diminished in the slightest by this person's observances. I don't need to consider and examine the worship service.
I need to find out what is wrong with the person talking to me.
Have we thought about responding to "I'm not getting anything from the service", especially from someone who should know better, with the simple question - "what then is wrong with you? If you know that this is Christ Jesus being present for you, then what has bewitched you that you could think this was 'nothing'?"
Of course, I don't think this is a new idea. Isn't this was Luther does with his 20 Christian Questions at the end of the Catechism? But what if I feel no hunger for the Sacrament - then consider who you are and what the Scriptures say of you.
Why don't you get anything out of it? Don't you know what it is? If it is what it is, what are these thoughts that you are having?
We say it, but we so often forget it. I have sinned against You in thought... thought, word, and deed.
Perhaps we do need to think a bit more about our thoughts being evil - and talk about this more, so people are aware of it.
All Saints' Day Sermon
All Saints’ Observed – November 7th, 2010 – Matthew 5:1-11
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Today, as we observe All Saints’ Day, as we give thanks to God for the love He has shown to those who have died in the faith and now rest in His Presence in heaven, awaiting the resurrection to come on the Last Day, we must, hearing out Gospel lesson, as ourselves a question. What does it mean to be blessed? What does it mean to be bless’ed? Nine times our Lord uses this word – in fact, it is sort of the key word for this text. So then, what does it mean to be blessed – what is blessing for a Christian.
If I were to simply ask you what some of the blessings in your life are, you’d probably end up saying things like life, health, house and home, family and friends, having nice things. Now, these are blessings – in fact, the next few weeks in our Catechism lessons we will be going over a lot of these as we look at the First Article of the Creed. God has made me and all creatures – my body and soul. These are indeed blessing – but this physical stuff, this stuff for life here and now is not the summation of God’s blessings to you – nor are they really the highest. There are times when we Christians need to think beyond just this world, this stuff. As Christians we are to be in the world, but not of the world – we are to recognize these temporal and temporary blessings, but understand that there is much more in store – that while we enjoy things here, we are in a fallen world, and these blessings will fade – but that this is fine and okay, for Christ gives us much, much more than these.
Listen to what our Lord says. “Blessed are the poor in the Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is one of the most profound things you will hear. Consider those who are poor in spirit – those who feel heartache and pain, those who know their mistakes, who see how they have hurt others and sorrow over it. The poor in Spirit are those who confess with us what we confessed in our confession – I a poor, miserable sinner. What does our Lord say? Poor, miserable sinners are blessed because Christ Jesus comes to them and gives them the Kingdom of heaven. Do you see how this is a spiritual truth, a spiritual blessing? When you are sorrowful, when you repent of your sin, you are blessed, because Christ Jesus is quick to bring you forgiveness. Even in your sorrow and suffering, when you are at your lowest, you are blessed with a blessing that lasts to all eternity. And this is a present reality – for theirs IS the kingdom of heaven. Right now, you are forgiven by God on account of Christ – and that is a blessing that will never fade.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Again, this idea of mourning is bigger than just sorrow over a specific death. It’s blessed are those who mourn, who are sorrowful, who look around in this world and see things just absolutely not as they should be – who see thing after thing falling apart, who see the rack and ruin of sin everywhere. To be a Christian is to mourn – because we know that this world is not what it should be, not what it was made to be – that we live in a fallen world where everything, where we could have been and should have been so much more. You will be comforted – because you will see the new Heavens and the New Earth. Do you not think that our dearly departed brothers and sisters aren’t comforted now in Christ’s presence in heaven – do you not know that we will all rejoice in the New Heavens and the New Earth together? This is a true blessing that you have promised to you from God.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meek here doesn’t mean shy, it doesn’t mean bashful. It means those who are lacking, who aren’t rich, who are lowly and meek and at the bottom of the rung, who get trampled on by those in power, who have no power or strength of theirs to fight or take anything in this life. The oppressed, the downtrodden – these are the meek – those who do not have earthly power, or who refuse to use their power for their own selfish gain, who refuse to play the dog eat dog game. This is what you as a Christian are. And you are blessed, for you shall inherit – what? We have “earth” here – but that doesn’t quite hit the point well. It’s Tein Gein in Greek, in Hebrew it would be “Ha Aratz” – the Land. . . the promised Land. Are you worn down here – are you treated as a despised stranger in this life, foreign and away from its power and might – you shall be part of the promised land – be a stranger here – heaven is your home. That’s the point here – when you see things here go against you – you are blessed, because you shall inherit the new heavens and the new earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” And here is the key, here is the center. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness – blessed are those who look at their own life and say, “I am not righteous, I am not perfect, I am a miserable sinner.” Why is that a blessing? Because to you who know your sin, who know that you lack righteousness, Christ Jesus our Lord pours out His own perfect, complete, total righteousness upon you, washes you in it, even literally feeds it to you – so that you might be satisfied – that your lack might be done away with, so that you might have all that you need in Christ Jesus and in Him alone. When you desire Christ, He always gives Himself to you, gives you His love and His forgiveness.
Now what comes next in the Beatitudes here is a shift – we have seen that we are blessed even when things look their worst, when we see pain and suffering and sin. Christ tells us we will be satisfied – that we will have His forgiveness and have it abundantly. And this makes us into new people, into a new creation. This is why Jesus then says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Are you focused on forgiveness –then you have been made to be merciful – and this will not be taken away from you. There is not going to come a point where Christ decides to change His mind about His love for you, where He decides to revoke your forgiveness – He has filled you with mercy, and He shall always give you mercy as long as you desire it – His forgiveness to you makes you merciful, and He keeps giving mercy more and more.
We also hear, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” What do we sing in a few moments – create in me a clean heart, O God. And will God ever cast out of His presence those whose hearts He has cleansed, whose hearts He has purified by His Gospel? By no means – for you who are forgiven by Christ, whose hearts have been cleansed of sin shall see God. And this is the wonder of this day, of All Saints Day. Our loved ones who have died in the faith – this is them right now – there hearts are now pure, sin no longer touches them at all, and they see God this moment. This is an awe inspiring thing.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This is one of my favorite verses – that word “peacemakers” – it is those who do, who make peace real. Those who give out Christ’s peace, who say, “Peace be with you”, who forgive sins, whether someone happens to forgive sins in public on Sunday morning or whether one forgives sins at home with the family, with their friends, with the neighbor, with the stranger. This is about forgiveness. And what do we hear? You shall be called sons of God. So let’s ponder this – you have Christ Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, go to the Cross to win salvation, who from the Cross cries out for forgiveness, who from the Cross proclaims that all the work of salvation is done – He is the Peacemaker. And then what happens? He takes you, brings you to the font, baptizes you, joins you to God’s family, says, “You now too are a child of God, and you too now shall be a peacemaker – you shall give out the very same peace and forgiveness that you have received – you will be an agent of love and peace in this world that doesn’t know it – and I myself will work through you to bring eternal blessings to people.” This is a wondrous thing – and again, the highest blessing we have is never simply 1st article, never just about this life – but about forgiveness and salvation which gives us the life to come.
But of course, in this fallen world, the peacemakers, the sons of God will be rejected and despised. What happens to Christ will happen to you. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” When you focus on Christ’s righteousness and forgiveness, when you point to Christ alone, when you are determined to know nothing but Christ and Him Crucified – the world won’t like it. People will rant and rave against you, they will lie about you, they will spread horrid rumors about you, they will mock you. They will see you as weak and try to take advantage of you. They will do everything in their power to make your life here miserable. Here in the US, that ends up being mere annoyances – in Iraq where the terrorists break into a church service and slaughter worshipers on Sunday morning – a little more direct. Doesn’t matter – you are blessed, indeed rejoice and be glad even in this – because yours is the Kingdom of God. How could it not be yours, for you are forgiven. You have been drawn to Christ, focused beyond the glitz and glamour of this world, and you shall have the joys of all eternity, the joys of perfection, the joys of the resurrection on the Last Day, the joy of you yourself being like Christ, seeing Him as He is. And this is a blessing no one can ever take away.
Do not forget, ever, my friends, just how blessed you are in Christ. The world will seek to wave baubles and trinkets and bling before your eyes – but that is not your true blessing. Your true blessing is salvation, and life, and forgiveness, which you have abundantly in Christ. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Today, as we observe All Saints’ Day, as we give thanks to God for the love He has shown to those who have died in the faith and now rest in His Presence in heaven, awaiting the resurrection to come on the Last Day, we must, hearing out Gospel lesson, as ourselves a question. What does it mean to be blessed? What does it mean to be bless’ed? Nine times our Lord uses this word – in fact, it is sort of the key word for this text. So then, what does it mean to be blessed – what is blessing for a Christian.
If I were to simply ask you what some of the blessings in your life are, you’d probably end up saying things like life, health, house and home, family and friends, having nice things. Now, these are blessings – in fact, the next few weeks in our Catechism lessons we will be going over a lot of these as we look at the First Article of the Creed. God has made me and all creatures – my body and soul. These are indeed blessing – but this physical stuff, this stuff for life here and now is not the summation of God’s blessings to you – nor are they really the highest. There are times when we Christians need to think beyond just this world, this stuff. As Christians we are to be in the world, but not of the world – we are to recognize these temporal and temporary blessings, but understand that there is much more in store – that while we enjoy things here, we are in a fallen world, and these blessings will fade – but that this is fine and okay, for Christ gives us much, much more than these.
Listen to what our Lord says. “Blessed are the poor in the Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is one of the most profound things you will hear. Consider those who are poor in spirit – those who feel heartache and pain, those who know their mistakes, who see how they have hurt others and sorrow over it. The poor in Spirit are those who confess with us what we confessed in our confession – I a poor, miserable sinner. What does our Lord say? Poor, miserable sinners are blessed because Christ Jesus comes to them and gives them the Kingdom of heaven. Do you see how this is a spiritual truth, a spiritual blessing? When you are sorrowful, when you repent of your sin, you are blessed, because Christ Jesus is quick to bring you forgiveness. Even in your sorrow and suffering, when you are at your lowest, you are blessed with a blessing that lasts to all eternity. And this is a present reality – for theirs IS the kingdom of heaven. Right now, you are forgiven by God on account of Christ – and that is a blessing that will never fade.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Again, this idea of mourning is bigger than just sorrow over a specific death. It’s blessed are those who mourn, who are sorrowful, who look around in this world and see things just absolutely not as they should be – who see thing after thing falling apart, who see the rack and ruin of sin everywhere. To be a Christian is to mourn – because we know that this world is not what it should be, not what it was made to be – that we live in a fallen world where everything, where we could have been and should have been so much more. You will be comforted – because you will see the new Heavens and the New Earth. Do you not think that our dearly departed brothers and sisters aren’t comforted now in Christ’s presence in heaven – do you not know that we will all rejoice in the New Heavens and the New Earth together? This is a true blessing that you have promised to you from God.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meek here doesn’t mean shy, it doesn’t mean bashful. It means those who are lacking, who aren’t rich, who are lowly and meek and at the bottom of the rung, who get trampled on by those in power, who have no power or strength of theirs to fight or take anything in this life. The oppressed, the downtrodden – these are the meek – those who do not have earthly power, or who refuse to use their power for their own selfish gain, who refuse to play the dog eat dog game. This is what you as a Christian are. And you are blessed, for you shall inherit – what? We have “earth” here – but that doesn’t quite hit the point well. It’s Tein Gein in Greek, in Hebrew it would be “Ha Aratz” – the Land. . . the promised Land. Are you worn down here – are you treated as a despised stranger in this life, foreign and away from its power and might – you shall be part of the promised land – be a stranger here – heaven is your home. That’s the point here – when you see things here go against you – you are blessed, because you shall inherit the new heavens and the new earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” And here is the key, here is the center. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness – blessed are those who look at their own life and say, “I am not righteous, I am not perfect, I am a miserable sinner.” Why is that a blessing? Because to you who know your sin, who know that you lack righteousness, Christ Jesus our Lord pours out His own perfect, complete, total righteousness upon you, washes you in it, even literally feeds it to you – so that you might be satisfied – that your lack might be done away with, so that you might have all that you need in Christ Jesus and in Him alone. When you desire Christ, He always gives Himself to you, gives you His love and His forgiveness.
Now what comes next in the Beatitudes here is a shift – we have seen that we are blessed even when things look their worst, when we see pain and suffering and sin. Christ tells us we will be satisfied – that we will have His forgiveness and have it abundantly. And this makes us into new people, into a new creation. This is why Jesus then says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Are you focused on forgiveness –then you have been made to be merciful – and this will not be taken away from you. There is not going to come a point where Christ decides to change His mind about His love for you, where He decides to revoke your forgiveness – He has filled you with mercy, and He shall always give you mercy as long as you desire it – His forgiveness to you makes you merciful, and He keeps giving mercy more and more.
We also hear, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” What do we sing in a few moments – create in me a clean heart, O God. And will God ever cast out of His presence those whose hearts He has cleansed, whose hearts He has purified by His Gospel? By no means – for you who are forgiven by Christ, whose hearts have been cleansed of sin shall see God. And this is the wonder of this day, of All Saints Day. Our loved ones who have died in the faith – this is them right now – there hearts are now pure, sin no longer touches them at all, and they see God this moment. This is an awe inspiring thing.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This is one of my favorite verses – that word “peacemakers” – it is those who do, who make peace real. Those who give out Christ’s peace, who say, “Peace be with you”, who forgive sins, whether someone happens to forgive sins in public on Sunday morning or whether one forgives sins at home with the family, with their friends, with the neighbor, with the stranger. This is about forgiveness. And what do we hear? You shall be called sons of God. So let’s ponder this – you have Christ Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, go to the Cross to win salvation, who from the Cross cries out for forgiveness, who from the Cross proclaims that all the work of salvation is done – He is the Peacemaker. And then what happens? He takes you, brings you to the font, baptizes you, joins you to God’s family, says, “You now too are a child of God, and you too now shall be a peacemaker – you shall give out the very same peace and forgiveness that you have received – you will be an agent of love and peace in this world that doesn’t know it – and I myself will work through you to bring eternal blessings to people.” This is a wondrous thing – and again, the highest blessing we have is never simply 1st article, never just about this life – but about forgiveness and salvation which gives us the life to come.
But of course, in this fallen world, the peacemakers, the sons of God will be rejected and despised. What happens to Christ will happen to you. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” When you focus on Christ’s righteousness and forgiveness, when you point to Christ alone, when you are determined to know nothing but Christ and Him Crucified – the world won’t like it. People will rant and rave against you, they will lie about you, they will spread horrid rumors about you, they will mock you. They will see you as weak and try to take advantage of you. They will do everything in their power to make your life here miserable. Here in the US, that ends up being mere annoyances – in Iraq where the terrorists break into a church service and slaughter worshipers on Sunday morning – a little more direct. Doesn’t matter – you are blessed, indeed rejoice and be glad even in this – because yours is the Kingdom of God. How could it not be yours, for you are forgiven. You have been drawn to Christ, focused beyond the glitz and glamour of this world, and you shall have the joys of all eternity, the joys of perfection, the joys of the resurrection on the Last Day, the joy of you yourself being like Christ, seeing Him as He is. And this is a blessing no one can ever take away.
Do not forget, ever, my friends, just how blessed you are in Christ. The world will seek to wave baubles and trinkets and bling before your eyes – but that is not your true blessing. Your true blessing is salvation, and life, and forgiveness, which you have abundantly in Christ. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Random East Deconstructing Thought
I know that the East despises and flat out likes to ignore the forensic aspects of Scripture (yes, I just gave my bias there in spades). As they tend to, my thoughts moved to the question of why? Why, when I see forensic language all over the place, especially in the Old Testament, do they not.
And that is when I think I made a useful observation, that, if I were so inclined in more fully analyzing the East, I would research (though it would be long and hard research).
Is the anti-forensic position of the East a child of their struggles with Judaism?
Historically speaking the conflicts between Jews and Christians are much more severe in the Greek speaking communities - for Greek was the diaspora language of both. In the West, however, you end up not getting nearly as much of a focus on Judaism, especially with the transition to Latin. Different languages, more separation, less antagonism.
Jewish themes tend to be highly forensic, and more over their appeals to Law often brought dire consequences for the Christians. One would think then that naturally Greek foci would move away from this Jewish approach.
Just as I tend to shy away from Baptist themes being in Oklahoma, the East with the strongly Jewish idea of forensic and judicial language.
Thoughts? Ideas?
(Apart from "No, we are right and you are wrong about everything in the Scriptures")
And that is when I think I made a useful observation, that, if I were so inclined in more fully analyzing the East, I would research (though it would be long and hard research).
Is the anti-forensic position of the East a child of their struggles with Judaism?
Historically speaking the conflicts between Jews and Christians are much more severe in the Greek speaking communities - for Greek was the diaspora language of both. In the West, however, you end up not getting nearly as much of a focus on Judaism, especially with the transition to Latin. Different languages, more separation, less antagonism.
Jewish themes tend to be highly forensic, and more over their appeals to Law often brought dire consequences for the Christians. One would think then that naturally Greek foci would move away from this Jewish approach.
Just as I tend to shy away from Baptist themes being in Oklahoma, the East with the strongly Jewish idea of forensic and judicial language.
Thoughts? Ideas?
(Apart from "No, we are right and you are wrong about everything in the Scriptures")
Blog of the Week
So, my post No Angst was selected as Jeff's Blog of the Week This is I believe the 4th or 5th time that Jeff has picked my blog, for which I am grateful.
However, in all this time, Todd has never picked one - it seems odd to have such a sharp distinction.
The only explanation that I can think of is that given Todd's former life as a London Barber, I don't make enough meat pie references. I'm also forced to assume that there must have been a giant meat pie recipe swap on the internet before I started blogging.
While this is completely unsubstantiated by any semblance of fact, I still do thank both of the Issues folk, not merely for their plugs of my blog, but for the excellent work they do.
However, in all this time, Todd has never picked one - it seems odd to have such a sharp distinction.
The only explanation that I can think of is that given Todd's former life as a London Barber, I don't make enough meat pie references. I'm also forced to assume that there must have been a giant meat pie recipe swap on the internet before I started blogging.
While this is completely unsubstantiated by any semblance of fact, I still do thank both of the Issues folk, not merely for their plugs of my blog, but for the excellent work they do.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thoughts on an Orthodox Evening
Having just driven home from Tulsa, the adrenaline won't let me sleep, so I figured I would just write about my evening.
Tonight I heard Jonah Paffhausen, Orthodox Archibishop of Washington and Metropolitan of Canada and the US, speak on Orthodox approaches to spirituality - the main thrust being, "Do not react, Do not resent, Keep inner stillness."
The basic, quick and dirty summation is as follows:
1. You can think of your mind as having two parts - the lower, which is the Ego, which deals with so much rational concerns, and the Nous - the mind/heart/spiritual aspect, which comprehends spiritual matters.
2. Spiritual growth in part entails the stilling of the Ego and its worries and fears so that one can have "consciousness" of God in your Nous.
3. Discipline is important for it enables one to beat down the thoughts of the Ego that would distract, distort, and entrap in sin - including the reactionary, vengeful thoughts.
4. This is hard.
Now, for those of you who are familiar with Eastern thought at all, this is roughly familiar. What I thought I would do is just give the comments I noted (I know, I reacted, oh wretch of the Western Rite that I am!) and use them as entry points for my comments.
Masks of God This is a more positive note I had. One of the points the Archbishop made is that when we let go of our poor reactions, we will see other people as what they are - people whom God loves. I think this ties in very nicely with Luther's "Masks of God" - that when we see our neighbor, we are simply seeing a mask that God is wearing. When our neighbor does good, it is truly God who is blessing us. When we serve and love the neighbor, we are truly serving and loving God. This plays into the next idea...
Seeing Reality I do appreciate the idea that the Archbishop was driving at with his focus on the "nous" as opposed to the cold, rational Ego. We have been trained to think that what exists is only what we can measure, add, subtract, experiment upon -- that our Ego can interact with. On the contrary - we do not see all of reality - God is the Creator of all things, visible and... invisible. To be a Christian is to begin to see and understand spiritual realities, things that aren't obvious. The world sees a lousy sinner, I see one for whom Christ has died (slightly more Western focus there, as we will see). We go to the Supper - the world sees a bit of bread and wine, I see the very Body and Blood of Christ given to me. The world sees a small congregation with only a few folks there - I see angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.
We are not always aware of this reality at the moment - we confess it, we believe it, and when we ponder, we understand now in part - but then it will be clear. When the Archbishop touched on these aspects, I thought he spoke very well, and that idea of "nous" - especially with repentance being "metanoia" - changing of the nous - works rather well.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Then of course, the big thing was synergism, which all the following comments sort of play into somehow.
One of the early points was about synergism, how we cooperate with God, we work along with Him. I actually thought his discussion on synergism was a touch weak, lacking many wonderful scriptural insights -- a proper discussion of synergism, rightly speaking, can be summed up with the prayer, "Thy Will be Done" -- work through me and in me, Oh Lord, according to Thy Will, for I am Thine workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the works that Thou dost wish!
Sadly, it didn't flow that well. Here are the comments I noted:
Greek is Active -> Passive.
I am Passive -> Active A lot of his focus was upon the work that I must do as regards repentance and struggle against my Ego in order to still myself to where I could be more fully aware of God. There was a lot of focus on my activity in order to achieve the passive state where I would be more aware of God.
I tend to reverse that order. I begin passive - I am called to God's house to hear His Word proclaimed, to receive His Supper. I am passive, I am receptive - He calls me out of the world and makes me to be still, to receive His gifts -- and then from this, out of this, His love which I have received wells up and out and through me in spiritual activity, which is the love of the neighbor.
I don't know if this is more that he was focusing on internal purification (for he would not deny works towards the neighbor as part of a spiritual life) specifically, but his approach ended up seeming a little flat. Who cares what my experience of God is - if it is more wondrous and deep, if I see the 7th heaven, that's nice and all, but I was put here love my neighbor, to be a right and proper steward. That is my spirituality -- expressed and realized in service to the neighbor. And then...
Synergism, but all me, little Theos Although the claim was made that this was synergism, that it was my working with God, there was very, very little God involved, at least in a causitive, energistic way. God was more of a goal - that I could condition myself to see Him and be aware of Him more... and that if anything His grace to me was almost a matter of, "well, of course you've received God's grace - now how are you going to discipline yourself to see more of it?"
Again, this strikes me as somewhat spiritually shallow (as well as dangerous). Where is the energy for this spiritual growth - is it me working with God, with the energy that He has given unto me by His Word and Spirit, or is it me trying to find God and mesh with him. The Archbishop even sort of used the image of his fists passing by, not quite connecting, to describe the hardship of learning to do this. This just removed God from things, from my work. So suddenly it is no longer true synergism, where my work is in actuality God's Work, but almost as though I am totally independent from God and left to my own devices to get into line with him.
The Egocentric Abandonment of Ego This really sums up my thoughts. For as much as the focus was upon abandoning of ones passions, desires, resentments - of being still that one might know the Lord (he never quoted, "Be still and know that I am the Lord" -- I think that's what he was driving at, but never quoted it), it was very EGO-centric. Over and over it was a matter of what I do. And then, even though the Ego is the rational thing that demands rational explanations, and this is what we strive to silence, he used some very rational explanations. He trashed scholasticism and its incessant categorization, but then spoke often in terms of resentment objectifying people. It was very odd.
But the saddest part is that it makes things needlessly hard. I will concur that the Ego must be kept in check (this is Luther's ministerial use of reason - where it is a servant at our beck and call, not our master). I will concur that I should beat down my desires . . .but how, and why?
The words of John the Baptist (not spoken tonight) come to mind - "I must decrease, that He may increase." And this sums up what I found so lacking. There was no focus on the increase of Christ - of Christ being more and more the center, the focus, the heart of all things. I heard much about "God", and knowing "God" -- but I didn't hear much of Christ Jesus - of being focused and meditating upon His love for us - of our Lord being the only way to the Father, of the way in which we can know the Father (for He is the Icon of the invisible Father. . . hhhmmm, knowing that which we can't see -- should be right up this alley). In fact, I think he spoke more about Mary than he did Mary's Son. Again, it was almost like Jesus was assumed, a mere thing that we all knew about and then could get onto the real work.
So in other words, while there was some nice discussion and imagery of spirituality - I found it lacking, lacking Christ - and therefore woefully inadequate. Now, I will say that I hear wonderful Law - really, really neat and engaging Law. The Archbishop spoke very well of what I must do, and in an interesting way. But the Gospel. . . eh, well... not so much, which leads to my final observation:
What and Who, but Why is missing This is my ultimate critique of Eastern Theology. They understand that Christ Jesus, True God and True Man, died for us upon the Cross -- but they don't seem to know why. I heard that God is love - that God is not angry. So then, why does Christ die upon the cross? As far as I can tell it really is just a humiliation thing - a descending fully into the depths of what humanity suffers so that He might pull all of fallen humanity through the grace unto His resurrection. A valid point - but not the fullness.
There was no atonement. There was no propitiation. And this really came out in how they talked. When you are simply trying to experience the love of a God who already loves you, there is no need for a focus on Christ. The idea of forgiveness was merely overlooking sin - God overlooks it - He isn't just, because we couldn't stand up to His justice (he actually said along the lines, "Thank God that He isn't just").
While the pious idea is that if we received God's Justice we couldn't not stand... well, that's right - and that's why Jesus Christ, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven. It's as though we weren't really saved from anything. . . just. . . able to be awakened?
Now, I know you have wonderful points in the Greek Liturgy that point to Christ as the Savior. The Archbishop encouraged everyone to go to Confession so that God's grace could work upon you (especially when you have found that stubborn point of Ego that won't go away) -- but that emphasis, that focus wasn't there. And as such, there was no Gospel, no good news for me -- just works and efforts that I must undertake.
It just seemed so sad that there was so little focus on how God creates - how He makes new, how He makes me new in His Son, how He renews my mind.
It was a good evening - I benefited, I was drawn to ponder many things. And while I am very glad that I know folks who are Orthodox, while I consider the East to be higher than the typical Protestant (for they are sacramental), I was reminded why I am not going East.
1. Not enough Christ for me.
2. All the wondrous things in their spirituality, I have already in Luther and Lutheran spirituality, and more properly done, for in Luther it is always done in light of Christ, clearly in the light of Christ.
I think Grace taped this - if they post it I will have to link it.
And now the adrenaline leaves, and my bed summons me. Good night all.
Tonight I heard Jonah Paffhausen, Orthodox Archibishop of Washington and Metropolitan of Canada and the US, speak on Orthodox approaches to spirituality - the main thrust being, "Do not react, Do not resent, Keep inner stillness."
The basic, quick and dirty summation is as follows:
1. You can think of your mind as having two parts - the lower, which is the Ego, which deals with so much rational concerns, and the Nous - the mind/heart/spiritual aspect, which comprehends spiritual matters.
2. Spiritual growth in part entails the stilling of the Ego and its worries and fears so that one can have "consciousness" of God in your Nous.
3. Discipline is important for it enables one to beat down the thoughts of the Ego that would distract, distort, and entrap in sin - including the reactionary, vengeful thoughts.
4. This is hard.
Now, for those of you who are familiar with Eastern thought at all, this is roughly familiar. What I thought I would do is just give the comments I noted (I know, I reacted, oh wretch of the Western Rite that I am!) and use them as entry points for my comments.
Masks of God This is a more positive note I had. One of the points the Archbishop made is that when we let go of our poor reactions, we will see other people as what they are - people whom God loves. I think this ties in very nicely with Luther's "Masks of God" - that when we see our neighbor, we are simply seeing a mask that God is wearing. When our neighbor does good, it is truly God who is blessing us. When we serve and love the neighbor, we are truly serving and loving God. This plays into the next idea...
Seeing Reality I do appreciate the idea that the Archbishop was driving at with his focus on the "nous" as opposed to the cold, rational Ego. We have been trained to think that what exists is only what we can measure, add, subtract, experiment upon -- that our Ego can interact with. On the contrary - we do not see all of reality - God is the Creator of all things, visible and... invisible. To be a Christian is to begin to see and understand spiritual realities, things that aren't obvious. The world sees a lousy sinner, I see one for whom Christ has died (slightly more Western focus there, as we will see). We go to the Supper - the world sees a bit of bread and wine, I see the very Body and Blood of Christ given to me. The world sees a small congregation with only a few folks there - I see angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.
We are not always aware of this reality at the moment - we confess it, we believe it, and when we ponder, we understand now in part - but then it will be clear. When the Archbishop touched on these aspects, I thought he spoke very well, and that idea of "nous" - especially with repentance being "metanoia" - changing of the nous - works rather well.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Then of course, the big thing was synergism, which all the following comments sort of play into somehow.
One of the early points was about synergism, how we cooperate with God, we work along with Him. I actually thought his discussion on synergism was a touch weak, lacking many wonderful scriptural insights -- a proper discussion of synergism, rightly speaking, can be summed up with the prayer, "Thy Will be Done" -- work through me and in me, Oh Lord, according to Thy Will, for I am Thine workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the works that Thou dost wish!
Sadly, it didn't flow that well. Here are the comments I noted:
Greek is Active -> Passive.
I am Passive -> Active A lot of his focus was upon the work that I must do as regards repentance and struggle against my Ego in order to still myself to where I could be more fully aware of God. There was a lot of focus on my activity in order to achieve the passive state where I would be more aware of God.
I tend to reverse that order. I begin passive - I am called to God's house to hear His Word proclaimed, to receive His Supper. I am passive, I am receptive - He calls me out of the world and makes me to be still, to receive His gifts -- and then from this, out of this, His love which I have received wells up and out and through me in spiritual activity, which is the love of the neighbor.
I don't know if this is more that he was focusing on internal purification (for he would not deny works towards the neighbor as part of a spiritual life) specifically, but his approach ended up seeming a little flat. Who cares what my experience of God is - if it is more wondrous and deep, if I see the 7th heaven, that's nice and all, but I was put here love my neighbor, to be a right and proper steward. That is my spirituality -- expressed and realized in service to the neighbor. And then...
Synergism, but all me, little Theos Although the claim was made that this was synergism, that it was my working with God, there was very, very little God involved, at least in a causitive, energistic way. God was more of a goal - that I could condition myself to see Him and be aware of Him more... and that if anything His grace to me was almost a matter of, "well, of course you've received God's grace - now how are you going to discipline yourself to see more of it?"
Again, this strikes me as somewhat spiritually shallow (as well as dangerous). Where is the energy for this spiritual growth - is it me working with God, with the energy that He has given unto me by His Word and Spirit, or is it me trying to find God and mesh with him. The Archbishop even sort of used the image of his fists passing by, not quite connecting, to describe the hardship of learning to do this. This just removed God from things, from my work. So suddenly it is no longer true synergism, where my work is in actuality God's Work, but almost as though I am totally independent from God and left to my own devices to get into line with him.
The Egocentric Abandonment of Ego This really sums up my thoughts. For as much as the focus was upon abandoning of ones passions, desires, resentments - of being still that one might know the Lord (he never quoted, "Be still and know that I am the Lord" -- I think that's what he was driving at, but never quoted it), it was very EGO-centric. Over and over it was a matter of what I do. And then, even though the Ego is the rational thing that demands rational explanations, and this is what we strive to silence, he used some very rational explanations. He trashed scholasticism and its incessant categorization, but then spoke often in terms of resentment objectifying people. It was very odd.
But the saddest part is that it makes things needlessly hard. I will concur that the Ego must be kept in check (this is Luther's ministerial use of reason - where it is a servant at our beck and call, not our master). I will concur that I should beat down my desires . . .but how, and why?
The words of John the Baptist (not spoken tonight) come to mind - "I must decrease, that He may increase." And this sums up what I found so lacking. There was no focus on the increase of Christ - of Christ being more and more the center, the focus, the heart of all things. I heard much about "God", and knowing "God" -- but I didn't hear much of Christ Jesus - of being focused and meditating upon His love for us - of our Lord being the only way to the Father, of the way in which we can know the Father (for He is the Icon of the invisible Father. . . hhhmmm, knowing that which we can't see -- should be right up this alley). In fact, I think he spoke more about Mary than he did Mary's Son. Again, it was almost like Jesus was assumed, a mere thing that we all knew about and then could get onto the real work.
So in other words, while there was some nice discussion and imagery of spirituality - I found it lacking, lacking Christ - and therefore woefully inadequate. Now, I will say that I hear wonderful Law - really, really neat and engaging Law. The Archbishop spoke very well of what I must do, and in an interesting way. But the Gospel. . . eh, well... not so much, which leads to my final observation:
What and Who, but Why is missing This is my ultimate critique of Eastern Theology. They understand that Christ Jesus, True God and True Man, died for us upon the Cross -- but they don't seem to know why. I heard that God is love - that God is not angry. So then, why does Christ die upon the cross? As far as I can tell it really is just a humiliation thing - a descending fully into the depths of what humanity suffers so that He might pull all of fallen humanity through the grace unto His resurrection. A valid point - but not the fullness.
There was no atonement. There was no propitiation. And this really came out in how they talked. When you are simply trying to experience the love of a God who already loves you, there is no need for a focus on Christ. The idea of forgiveness was merely overlooking sin - God overlooks it - He isn't just, because we couldn't stand up to His justice (he actually said along the lines, "Thank God that He isn't just").
While the pious idea is that if we received God's Justice we couldn't not stand... well, that's right - and that's why Jesus Christ, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven. It's as though we weren't really saved from anything. . . just. . . able to be awakened?
Now, I know you have wonderful points in the Greek Liturgy that point to Christ as the Savior. The Archbishop encouraged everyone to go to Confession so that God's grace could work upon you (especially when you have found that stubborn point of Ego that won't go away) -- but that emphasis, that focus wasn't there. And as such, there was no Gospel, no good news for me -- just works and efforts that I must undertake.
It just seemed so sad that there was so little focus on how God creates - how He makes new, how He makes me new in His Son, how He renews my mind.
It was a good evening - I benefited, I was drawn to ponder many things. And while I am very glad that I know folks who are Orthodox, while I consider the East to be higher than the typical Protestant (for they are sacramental), I was reminded why I am not going East.
1. Not enough Christ for me.
2. All the wondrous things in their spirituality, I have already in Luther and Lutheran spirituality, and more properly done, for in Luther it is always done in light of Christ, clearly in the light of Christ.
I think Grace taped this - if they post it I will have to link it.
And now the adrenaline leaves, and my bed summons me. Good night all.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Needs, Wants, and Self-Assessments
"And she says 'Your debutante just knows what you need/ but I know what you want'" - Bob Dylan, Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
As a Circuit Counselor, I now get to oversee a vacant congregation's self-evaluation which is considered to be a vital process of calling a pastor. This fills me with great trepidation. Why?
We tend to confuse the idea of "Need" with "Want". If a person is asked, "What does this congregation need", the answer you will hear is often what that person "wants". "We need ______" is quite often simply a way of saying, "I want _____".
This is partially because we live in a society that is highly focused on advertising - on convincing you that you *need* product X, that product Y just won't do when you can have product X. This is something that is attached to virtually every form of popular entertainment we have -- TV commercials, product placement in movies and video games, adverts in magazines. And of course, our choices in entertainment are high based upon advertising.
"Now there are seven kinds of Coke/500 kinds of cigarettes/ This freedom of choice in the USA drives everybody crazy" - X, See How We Are
And in this advertising culture, we think in terms of choosing what we want. That becomes the question - what do you want? And it is a dastardly question. Shall I lament here the parent who asks their 5 year old if they "want" to go to Church? And I worry how this plays out in terms of the call.
The purpose of a call meeting is not to try and get the Pastor you "want" - not to treat the calling of a pastor as a means of trying to shape and make the Church into what you want (and God help you if a congregation gets a pastor who thinks he ought to shape the congregation into what he "wants" the congregation to be!) - but I fear that these are the dynamics we fall into.
I think what I am going to do is show the Elders there one self-evaluation tool that just ranks how important a list of 30 things are... that's not too bad.
But I'm also going to give them a blank SET (Pastor's "Self Evaluation Tool") and ask how the congregation as a whole would answer it... that gives them a base line to evaluate the SETs they will see - that seems more objective about what a man will "preach" and "teach" rather than who the guy happens to be.
Thoughts? Advice?
As a Circuit Counselor, I now get to oversee a vacant congregation's self-evaluation which is considered to be a vital process of calling a pastor. This fills me with great trepidation. Why?
We tend to confuse the idea of "Need" with "Want". If a person is asked, "What does this congregation need", the answer you will hear is often what that person "wants". "We need ______" is quite often simply a way of saying, "I want _____".
This is partially because we live in a society that is highly focused on advertising - on convincing you that you *need* product X, that product Y just won't do when you can have product X. This is something that is attached to virtually every form of popular entertainment we have -- TV commercials, product placement in movies and video games, adverts in magazines. And of course, our choices in entertainment are high based upon advertising.
"Now there are seven kinds of Coke/500 kinds of cigarettes/ This freedom of choice in the USA drives everybody crazy" - X, See How We Are
And in this advertising culture, we think in terms of choosing what we want. That becomes the question - what do you want? And it is a dastardly question. Shall I lament here the parent who asks their 5 year old if they "want" to go to Church? And I worry how this plays out in terms of the call.
The purpose of a call meeting is not to try and get the Pastor you "want" - not to treat the calling of a pastor as a means of trying to shape and make the Church into what you want (and God help you if a congregation gets a pastor who thinks he ought to shape the congregation into what he "wants" the congregation to be!) - but I fear that these are the dynamics we fall into.
I think what I am going to do is show the Elders there one self-evaluation tool that just ranks how important a list of 30 things are... that's not too bad.
But I'm also going to give them a blank SET (Pastor's "Self Evaluation Tool") and ask how the congregation as a whole would answer it... that gives them a base line to evaluate the SETs they will see - that seems more objective about what a man will "preach" and "teach" rather than who the guy happens to be.
Thoughts? Advice?
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Somtimes People Just Don't Care
We are told that if we have passion, if we put lots of energy into things, if we just work hard enough - we will have success. We are trained to think this way from childhood up - dream and dream and it will be real. You can be whatever you want to be.
:sniffle: The fact that my brand spanking new Star Wars Blog wherein I will be doing reviews of the entire Star Wars fiction library (excluding children's books) has had only 13 hits an no return visitors strike home with this (um, no, this isn't a shameless plug).
But, but, but I'm passionate about it. I love Star Wars. I've worked really hard.
...
Okay, so it's slap dash and I was expecting easy and quick results and lots of glory - maybe the folks at Club Jade saying, "Oh, this is wonderful, because as we all know, we NEED another Star Wars Blog."
Alas, reality sets in. It will never be a 1000 follower blog, praised and lauded. I won't get invited to coventions to be on panels. Why? Sometimes, people just don't care.
So, what do I do? Say, "Aw, forget it"? Stop writing? Or, do I say, "Ah, I enjoy this, I shall keep on doing it"? (Actually, if I stop, it will be due to the fact that I'm going to try to reread some Star Wars books I really don't like, and they may sap my will to live)
And right now you are thinking - well, is it not enough that people ignore one blog, must you bore us with your whiney diatribes here too?
And this, my friends, is the point. The simple, simple fact is this. Sometimes people just don't care. And as theologians we must remember this, but not let it change us.
I think the greatest difficulty Christians have in dealing with the faith is not the difficult questions, not the moral discipline and formation of habits. These can be hard, of course, but the wrestling there is sometimes satisfying. When you have helped someone through a theological rough patch - rewarding. Good habits - rewarding.
No, what is difficult is when you realize just how many people don't care. And the thing is, we are told that if we just have passion, we will be successful. That if we love our people, they will love us back. If they know what we care, they will care what we know and can teach them. And, to a certain extent, this is true. If you are a tool and a jerk you can turn people off, give them cause to let their sinful nature write you off.
However, even when we do things right - whether it is pastors dealing with congregations or laity dealing with friends and neighbors, sometimes people just don't care. There are times when the proclamation of the Word will just seem to fall and hit the ground with a giant collective thunk.
So, what do we do then? Do we make radical changes? Make things into a dog and pony show? Do we look at ourselves and despair?
I do like the line of the Franzmann hymn - Preach you the Word and plant it home, to people who like it or like it not.
As Christians, our examinations need to be solid and stern, but based upon our actions, our inaction, our failings. These we need to repent of. However, our examinations of ourselves need to avoid being tainted and twisted by the burden of people's reactions. Sometimes people just don't care.
I wish it weren't so, but it is true. But that fact will not control me, will not drive me down, will not force my hand. You all can do what you want, but as for me and my house - it's not "we will do something radical and new to desperately try to attract people" - it's we will follow the Lord.
And the Lord will tend to His own Church. What part do I end up playing, what does He accomplish through me as His tool and workmanship. Eh, that's up to Him - I'm not going to worry about it.
Sometimes people just don't care - but Christ Jesus always cares for you, always supports and sustains you. That's a focus that never brings despair, never brings theological stupidity, never kills but only brings the life of Christ Jesus Himself.
:sniffle: The fact that my brand spanking new Star Wars Blog wherein I will be doing reviews of the entire Star Wars fiction library (excluding children's books) has had only 13 hits an no return visitors strike home with this (um, no, this isn't a shameless plug).
But, but, but I'm passionate about it. I love Star Wars. I've worked really hard.
...
Okay, so it's slap dash and I was expecting easy and quick results and lots of glory - maybe the folks at Club Jade saying, "Oh, this is wonderful, because as we all know, we NEED another Star Wars Blog."
Alas, reality sets in. It will never be a 1000 follower blog, praised and lauded. I won't get invited to coventions to be on panels. Why? Sometimes, people just don't care.
So, what do I do? Say, "Aw, forget it"? Stop writing? Or, do I say, "Ah, I enjoy this, I shall keep on doing it"? (Actually, if I stop, it will be due to the fact that I'm going to try to reread some Star Wars books I really don't like, and they may sap my will to live)
And right now you are thinking - well, is it not enough that people ignore one blog, must you bore us with your whiney diatribes here too?
And this, my friends, is the point. The simple, simple fact is this. Sometimes people just don't care. And as theologians we must remember this, but not let it change us.
I think the greatest difficulty Christians have in dealing with the faith is not the difficult questions, not the moral discipline and formation of habits. These can be hard, of course, but the wrestling there is sometimes satisfying. When you have helped someone through a theological rough patch - rewarding. Good habits - rewarding.
No, what is difficult is when you realize just how many people don't care. And the thing is, we are told that if we just have passion, we will be successful. That if we love our people, they will love us back. If they know what we care, they will care what we know and can teach them. And, to a certain extent, this is true. If you are a tool and a jerk you can turn people off, give them cause to let their sinful nature write you off.
However, even when we do things right - whether it is pastors dealing with congregations or laity dealing with friends and neighbors, sometimes people just don't care. There are times when the proclamation of the Word will just seem to fall and hit the ground with a giant collective thunk.
So, what do we do then? Do we make radical changes? Make things into a dog and pony show? Do we look at ourselves and despair?
I do like the line of the Franzmann hymn - Preach you the Word and plant it home, to people who like it or like it not.
As Christians, our examinations need to be solid and stern, but based upon our actions, our inaction, our failings. These we need to repent of. However, our examinations of ourselves need to avoid being tainted and twisted by the burden of people's reactions. Sometimes people just don't care.
I wish it weren't so, but it is true. But that fact will not control me, will not drive me down, will not force my hand. You all can do what you want, but as for me and my house - it's not "we will do something radical and new to desperately try to attract people" - it's we will follow the Lord.
And the Lord will tend to His own Church. What part do I end up playing, what does He accomplish through me as His tool and workmanship. Eh, that's up to Him - I'm not going to worry about it.
Sometimes people just don't care - but Christ Jesus always cares for you, always supports and sustains you. That's a focus that never brings despair, never brings theological stupidity, never kills but only brings the life of Christ Jesus Himself.
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