Uri Brito

On March 7, 2019 By Uri Brito In Scribblings 1

Lenten Journey, 2

Psalm 107:7:
And so Yahweh does the same for his Bride:
He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.

In the pathless mazes of the desert, Yahweh makes a way for his people. This is what Jesus does for us during Lent: he provides a clear path to the city of God. We all need a new orientation in our journey to the city of God. The desert paths of Lent can be filled with frustrations, complaining, hunger and thirst. So, if we are going to face these next thirty-nine days, we need to know the ways of the Lord. In Psalm 107, God is moving his people from desert to city; from ruin to a new civilization. He is forming through his people a new polis; a new city that shines brighter than all other cities.

Lent is the journey through the desert to the new city; it is formation into the cruciform life; it’s improving in our image-bearing status or, as the Westminster Confession says, “improving our baptisms.” But this improvement comes through the crucified way. The journey to Calvary is long.

Let us not mistake, however, the way of the cross as a call to isolation. Rather, the cross restores us into unity with one another. In fact, the Lenten journey must bind us together. Sin isolates us. Sin calls us to take our own ways in the desert than following the cloud by day and pillar by night. Sin prefers to wander, then to confess. Sin desires darkness rather than light; blindness rather than sight. So, let us walk together side by side, prayer by prayer, confession by confession until we reach the great city where the resurrected Jesus awaits us.

On March 6, 2019 By Uri Brito In Scribblings Like

Lenten Journey, 1

The Lenten Journey is a blessed one. It is encapsulated in the words of Psalm 1:

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers…

Lent is to face once again those words with renewed vigor and insight. Lent forces us to re-examine anew what it looks like to walk in step with the wicked than in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:16).

Indeed we are blessed when we contemplate our lives in light of those around us. Our tables of fellowship and the halls of communion speak much about our lives. Where do we sit? Where do we stand? Are we sitting around a company of law-keepers? Are we standing with blessed ones or those who despise the blessings of Yahweh?

Lent is a journey to grace. But this journey cuts us for forty long days. It allows us to bleed in ways we have not bled before; to mourn in ways we have not mourned before. Lent takes us through that journey where we ponder sin’s place in our lives and begin to demolish its presence and power in our daily walk. Lent is a blessed journey. And only the blessed ones can walk faithfully to the resurrection city.

On March 5, 2019 By Uri Brito In Politics, Theology, Worship Like

What is Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is a day of feasting. It marks the conclusion of the Epiphany Season. On this day, the Church feasts before she enters into a more solemn and penitential season called Lent, which is referred to as a Season of Confession.

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated with a pancake dinner, which is accompanied by eggs and syrup (bacon can be added–and it should).

This day provides the Church an opportunity to celebrate once again the abundance of the Gospel in our lives and in the world. The glory of the Epiphany season is that Jesus has given us life and life more abundantly (Jn.10:10). Following the rich feasting tradition of our Hebrew forefathers, the English speaking Church has broadly practiced Shrove Tuesday for over 800 years.

What’s the Importance of this day?

As a tradition of the Church and not an explicit teaching in the Bible, the individual or churches are not bound by such traditions. However, if churches do practice this, it is important for members to join in this festive occasion. It provides the Church with another healthy excuse to fellowship and forms greater bonds through a delightful and bountiful meal.

On the day before we enter into the Lenten Story where Jesus commences his journey to the cross, Christians everywhere in the English speaking world will prepare rightly by celebrating God’s gifts to us, so that we can rightly meditate, fast, pray, confess and repent by remembering the sufferings of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).

What if my Church does not do Shrove Tuesday?

Assuming the congregation is silent on the issue and has not taken any strong constitutional or theological position on the matter, then as a family, you are also free to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. You may also want to invite friends over to enjoy a pancake dinner.

To Shrive

Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent (Sundays excluded from this number). Whether your Church has an Ash Wednesday service or not, Shrove Tuesday is still valid as a way of celebrating the Christ who has given us all things, including His own body for our sakes (I Pet. 2:24).

Shrove comes from the word shrive meaning to confess. As we celebrate this evening, let us not forget that the Christian life is, as Luther stated, a “life of daily repentance.” Confession is not just reserved for Lent, but it is for all seasons. But on this Lenten Season, we receive a particular reminder (through our liturgical readings and singing) that a repentant heart is a clean heart before God (Ps. 51:2).

On March 4, 2019 By Uri Brito In Podcast, Politics 1

Episode 53, The Methodists’ Fight for Biblical Sexuality, Conversation with Dr. Matt O’Reilly

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:48 — 28.3MB)

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In light of the recent 2019 Special Session held in St. Louis of the United Methodist Church regarding the denomination’s view on the definition of marriage, Kuyperian reached out to Dr. Matt O’Reilly, a UMC minister, to ask him about what it means to be a Methodist and to give us a summary of what happened in this special session.

Listeners will learn much about Methodism, its polity, and the positive direction towards a biblical view of sexuality within the denomination guided by the heroic efforts of the African bishops.

Dr. Matt O’Reilly is pastor of Hope Hull United Methodist Church near Montgomery, Alabama, Adjunct Professor of New Testament and Pastoral Ministry at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and a fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, England, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Auburn University.

You can read Dr. O’Reilly’s articles and find links to purchase his books here.

On February 26, 2019 By Uri Brito In Podcast, Theology Like

Episode 52, Communal Reading in the Time of Jesus; Conversation with Dr. Brian Wright

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:48 — 22.9MB)

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Pastor Brito sat down on this one-on-one interview with Dr. Brian Wright to talk about Wright’s fascinating book published in 2017 entitled Communal Reading in the Time of Jesus.

Much of the contemporary discussion of the Jesus tradition has focused on aspects of oral performance, story telling, and social memory, on the premise that the practice of communal reading of written texts was a phenomenon documented no earlier than the second century C.E. Brian J. Wright overturns that premise by examining evidence that demonstrates communal reading events in the first century. ^a

We also discussed whether the assertion that the early church was vastly illiterate is a historically accurate description or whether historians have misunderstood the clear data.

The interview concludes focusing on how we can apply the practice of communal reading to our modern church context. While the book is a bit technical, Pastor Brito and Dr. Wright focus on the important applications to Bible Studies, liturgical readings, poetry readings, etc. This interview may encourage a renewed interest in reading and discussing the text, whether of Holy Scriptures or other significant writings together in community.

Resources:

Dr. Brian Wright’s academic papers can be found here.

Wright’s articles on the Gospel Coalition.

See link (back)

On February 19, 2019 By Uri Brito In Podcast 1

Episode 51, Pro-Life Legislation in Montana; Conversation with Rep. Greg DeVries from Montana

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:58 — 10.4MB)

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In this short bonus interview, Pastor Uri Brito speaks with Rep. Greg DeVries from Montana who was a concerned citizen who took his calling as a Christian seriously and entered the political battle. Greg DeVries is a Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives, representing District 75. DeVries was elected to the office on November 6, 2018. Instead of typing away on his keyboard, Greg took the advice of a fellow parishioner, put his name on the ballot for $15 and was elected to serve. He’s not a lover of politics, but he loves the Church and her call to speak for the defenseless. Our deepest thanks at Kuyperian to Rep. Greg DeVries and may his fight bear good fruit.

On February 14, 2019 By Uri Brito In Podcast, Politics 1

Episode 50, “Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings; or, Do They?” Conversation with Dustin Messer

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:48 — 30.6MB)

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For our monumental 50th episode, Uri and Dustin joined forces to discuss Dustin’s first official article as a writer for the Colson Center entitled Awakening the Woke: Persuasion in a Tribal Age.

Of course, the article leads us to all sorts of interesting conversations, including why we think Ben Shapiro Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings needs a little adjustment. Take a listen and leave us a comment on our iTunes page.

On February 14, 2019 By Uri Brito In Politics Like

Who was Valentine?

It is not uncommon to celebrate days without the slightest clue of their origin. Such a day is the traditional Valentine’s Day or The Feast of Saint Valentine. “Valentine” derives from valens, which means strong, worthy, or powerful. These are apt descriptions for this little-appreciated martyr.

Tradition and legends abound. The truth is we do not know much about the life of St. Valentine. What we do know is that around 278 AD, Valentine, a holy priest in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. The precise day is well acknowledged as February 14th.

Claudius was known for his cruelty. His unpopular and bloody campaigns required a strong army. To Claudius’ vexation, he was not able to draw many Roman soldiers to his cause. Valentine believed that the soldiers were strongly attached to their wives and families. As a result, Claudius banished marriages and engagements in Rome.[1] Valentine believed this to be a great injustice and continued to perform marriages.

Another factor that made Valentine unpopular with Claudius was his commitment to helping persecuted Christians. Valentine was faithful to the Christ he served.

Valentine’s high disregard for the laws of Claudius the Cruel and his strong faith was cause for arresting the 3rd-century priest. “He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterward, to be beheaded.”[2]

On this day, we celebrate this faithful saint who died for love; love of truth, and love for Christ; the Christ who gave His life that His Bride might live abundantly.

[1] History.com, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/st-valentine-beheaded

[2] Catholic Online, http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159

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On February 7, 2019 By Uri Brito In Podcast, Politics Like

Episode 49, China and Persecution; Conversation with Jerry Bowyer

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:55 — 22.2MB)

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Jerry Bowyer is an economist with a developed theology. He brings insightful commentary to world events and his recent article at the Asia Times is no different.

In this interview, Pastor Uri Brito discusses the article with Mr. Bowyer focusing on the political and economic consequences to regimes that persecute Christians. We also discuss the heroic sermons and actions of Early Rain Covenant Church Pastor, Wang Li, who is currently imprisoned with his wife and others. This is a must listen.

On January 28, 2019 By Uri Brito In Theology, Worship 1

Epiphany as the paradigm for discipleship

Epiphany is a season of growth represented by the color green which is a fitting way to train the Christian to see this season as a paradigm for discipleship. There is—I believe—a case to be made that different phases of Church life offer us different ways of growing in the faith. But Epiphany clearly establishes a pattern for discipleship. When we consider the gifts of the magi in light of the overwhelming biblical data, we can develop a model of discipleship that is both biblical and practical.

Training our Bodies

Our evangelical churches stress the importance of discipleship. It is good and necessary. But discipleship in broader evangelicalism is often discussed in the context of intellectual learning; a fact-finding mission. I propose there is more to discipleship than facts. Discipleship in the Bible is also the cultivation of bodily postures and biblical manners. The Bible trains us to move and live and to have our being in God. Any model of discipleship that does not include learning to kneel, raise hands, eat, sing, bless, receive, give, sit, stand is dishonoring biblical discipleship. When we formulate discipleship curriculum without incorporating common biblical rituals, we are secularizing biblical formation and turning it into an encyclopedic course fit for the Bible trivia team.

But discipleship is for the little babies and every person whom Jesus claims as his own. If we see discipleship as training in worship, then bodily actions make sense. This is the common thread of the Psalter and other prophetic writings.

Epiphany is training in bodily postures because worship demands our bodies as well as our souls. We have too often looked at worship as only an exercise in listening and gathering data. We want to listen; we want our children to listen and to learn facts about God, but more than that our goal in discipling our children and one another is to worship through bodily habits that form them into God-honoring saints.

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