James Johnson once wrote that "God is an artist, not a mathematician." These words hit me like a ton of bricks. In this age of post-Enlightenment we tend to break everything down to its most basic components for analysis. This includes the Bible and the symbols of our Faith.
To enjoy and understand a beautiful painting one does not seek to determine the chemical makeup of the paint, but rather stand back and look at the entire picture. We need to treat the things of God in the same fashion. Rather than break down the actual composition of the Bread and Wine of the Sacrament we need to step back and look at the big picture. Rather than break down word by word a text of Scripture we need to step back and listen to what the entire text is saying to us.
We have made Christianity a scientific endeavor rather than a matter of faith.
God is an Artist, the Artist, and we need to enjoy His handiwork. I'm tired of arguing over which denomination is right and which is wrong. We need to step back and see the Church as a whole. The Communion of Saints is made up of many parts and when these parts are viewed as a whole throughout the course of history and into the future we see a thing of mystery and beauty.
If you want to look through a microscope and see the cells of the flower be my guest, but you are going to miss the beauty of the flower. To enjoy a flower one has to use all of the senses. Our Faith is a beautiful flower. We should worship God with all of our senses and this requires us to experience the art the Artist has given us. When we do this we will truly be moved in our souls and we will truly believe.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Cheers!
Do you remember the television show "Cheers"? I loved that show. It was about a bar where everybody knows your name. There was a sense of community about that bar where everyone knew everyone and they accepted each other for who they were. Isn't that what the church is supposed to be?
Most of you know that All Souls Mission is meeting in Beth and Tina's home right now. We've had discussions of looking for a building to have church in but everytime we do the words of our archbishop comes back to my mind. He reminded us that we are the church. Wherever we are is the church. He also reminded us that the Celtic Christians, as did the early Church, met and worshiped God in homes.
As we worshiped together this past Sunday it struck me how much our Mission is like "Cheers." We know each others names and we accept each other just as we are. We are a community. When I forget the words during the Eucharist everyone just gives me a smile and we continue on. When our singing doesn't jive with the music we laugh and continue on. When the dog breaks lose from his cage and joins in on the service we pat him on the head and keep worshiping God.
I like worshiping in a house. There is something extraordinary about tranforming an ordinary living room into a sacred place to worship the Almighty. I feel connected with the roots of our Faith and my Celtic ancestors.
In a setting like this there is no room for pretense and no way to hide our foibles and our faults. We are who we are. But part of being who we are together is growing into who God would have us to be together. When I preach in this setting if someone has a question they can ask it. The formality of a church building is gone and the environment of friendship is present. We gather together around the Word and Sacrament as the family of God. As a family we share that Word and Holy Meal in the spirit of unity and openess.
Don't misunderstand me. I love the glorious churches and cathedrals of Christianity. They stand as monuments to the Glory of God and act as visible signs of His Presence among us. But I also love the small gatherings of Christians who huddle in homes, caves, groves, etc. to share their faith. They have been and will always be the roots of our heritage and the backbone of our Faith. Cathedrals don't change peoples lives. People empowered by the Holy Spirit of God change peoples lives as they live and worship in community.
So whether you are going to a formal building to worship God or someone's house, I say "Cheers!" Even if everyone doesn't know your name, God does, and in the final analysis that's all that really matters.
Most of you know that All Souls Mission is meeting in Beth and Tina's home right now. We've had discussions of looking for a building to have church in but everytime we do the words of our archbishop comes back to my mind. He reminded us that we are the church. Wherever we are is the church. He also reminded us that the Celtic Christians, as did the early Church, met and worshiped God in homes.
As we worshiped together this past Sunday it struck me how much our Mission is like "Cheers." We know each others names and we accept each other just as we are. We are a community. When I forget the words during the Eucharist everyone just gives me a smile and we continue on. When our singing doesn't jive with the music we laugh and continue on. When the dog breaks lose from his cage and joins in on the service we pat him on the head and keep worshiping God.
I like worshiping in a house. There is something extraordinary about tranforming an ordinary living room into a sacred place to worship the Almighty. I feel connected with the roots of our Faith and my Celtic ancestors.
In a setting like this there is no room for pretense and no way to hide our foibles and our faults. We are who we are. But part of being who we are together is growing into who God would have us to be together. When I preach in this setting if someone has a question they can ask it. The formality of a church building is gone and the environment of friendship is present. We gather together around the Word and Sacrament as the family of God. As a family we share that Word and Holy Meal in the spirit of unity and openess.
Don't misunderstand me. I love the glorious churches and cathedrals of Christianity. They stand as monuments to the Glory of God and act as visible signs of His Presence among us. But I also love the small gatherings of Christians who huddle in homes, caves, groves, etc. to share their faith. They have been and will always be the roots of our heritage and the backbone of our Faith. Cathedrals don't change peoples lives. People empowered by the Holy Spirit of God change peoples lives as they live and worship in community.
So whether you are going to a formal building to worship God or someone's house, I say "Cheers!" Even if everyone doesn't know your name, God does, and in the final analysis that's all that really matters.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Word Became Flesh
One of the things that intrigues me the most about the Christian faith is the Christmas story. Not because of the stars or shepherds or even the angels, but rather because of the mystery of the incarnation. When we say, "God is with us" we literally mean it. He became one of us.
In John 1:14 the Bible says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John, unlike Matthew and Luke, gives us the Christmas story from a theological perspective. He delves into the mystery of the incarnation. When John used the phrase, "...dwelt among us..." he was alluding back to the Old Testament scenes of God dwelling among men in the Tabernacle and the Temple. The Shekinah Glory would fall from heaven and rest on the Ark of the Covenant...God with us. But now the Shekinah Glory rests in a Man. No longer is God found in tent or temple, now He is found walking the streets among men, flesh and bones.
The Word (Logos in Greek) became one of us. What a staggering thought. In the Greek "Logos" means "a saying, decree, doctrine, precept, wisdom, reason." Jesus is all of these things! He is the saying, the decree of God. It was through Jesus that God the Father spoke the worlds into existence. Jesus is our doctrine and our precept. He is the all in all when it comes to the Bible and our belief. We are to know nothing but Christ, and Him crucified. He is wisdom and reason. God's thoughts are higher than out thoughts and these thoughts find their summation in Jesus. He is the Logos of God.
In Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament he says that "Logos signifies both the outward form by which the inward thought is expressed." This sounds alot like the definition of a sacrament, an outward sign of an inward grace. It is for this reason that many theologians call Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Primordial Sacrament. Jesus is the visible and tangible reality of all that the Bible speaks of. He is the grace of God incarnate.
God is with us! What a joyful expression. Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Logos. O come, let us adore Him...Christ the Lord!
In John 1:14 the Bible says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John, unlike Matthew and Luke, gives us the Christmas story from a theological perspective. He delves into the mystery of the incarnation. When John used the phrase, "...dwelt among us..." he was alluding back to the Old Testament scenes of God dwelling among men in the Tabernacle and the Temple. The Shekinah Glory would fall from heaven and rest on the Ark of the Covenant...God with us. But now the Shekinah Glory rests in a Man. No longer is God found in tent or temple, now He is found walking the streets among men, flesh and bones.
The Word (Logos in Greek) became one of us. What a staggering thought. In the Greek "Logos" means "a saying, decree, doctrine, precept, wisdom, reason." Jesus is all of these things! He is the saying, the decree of God. It was through Jesus that God the Father spoke the worlds into existence. Jesus is our doctrine and our precept. He is the all in all when it comes to the Bible and our belief. We are to know nothing but Christ, and Him crucified. He is wisdom and reason. God's thoughts are higher than out thoughts and these thoughts find their summation in Jesus. He is the Logos of God.
In Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament he says that "Logos signifies both the outward form by which the inward thought is expressed." This sounds alot like the definition of a sacrament, an outward sign of an inward grace. It is for this reason that many theologians call Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Primordial Sacrament. Jesus is the visible and tangible reality of all that the Bible speaks of. He is the grace of God incarnate.
God is with us! What a joyful expression. Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Logos. O come, let us adore Him...Christ the Lord!
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