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On March 23, 2019 By In Theology

Lenten Journey, Day 16; Rejoicing in the Prodigal

Luke 15:21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

The response of the older son is like his younger brother’s. The younger brother was blind in sin and disobedience, the older brother is blind in disrespect and self-righteousness. He was so busy thinking of his own affairs and his rights that he missed what was happening before his very eyes. The older brother is a picture of the Pharisees of the day. Here was Jesus transforming lives, giving sight to the blind, giving hope to the hopeless, and changing everything in their midst, and the Pharisees could only see these people in light of their un-redeemed, unchanged status. The key to this passage is his rationale: “‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command.” This was precisely the same way the Pharisees acted: they boasted in their accomplishments. But if they had up to that moment lived up to all of God’s commandments, they had failed to live up to one: to rejoice over the finding of one lost sheep.

In this season of Lent, when we see people around us experiencing “resurrection moments;” when we see them in moments of real heavenly delight, the only appropriate response is to feast: “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad…” 

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On March 17, 2019 By In Theology

Total Salvation

Seven hundred years before Jesus returned home to Nazareth after his forty-day testing in the wilderness, Isaiah prophesied of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who would come to glorify Israel and fulfill her purpose of bringing salvation to the Gentiles. When Jesus stands and reads from the scroll of Isaiah on that Sabbath in Nazareth, he tells his family and hometown friends, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears” (Lk 4.16-21). Jesus is the Anointed One who would announce that God’s promised salvation had begun.

The nature of his salvific mission is summarized in Isaiah’s prophecy:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the oppressed/broken ones in pardon, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Isa 61.1-2a)

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On March 14, 2019 By In Culture, Family and Children, Theology, Wisdom, Worship

Lent as Subtraction by Addition

Guest post by Rev Sam Murrell 

The liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for forty days (not counting Sundays) up until Easter. It has traditionally been regarded as a time of reflection, introspection and personal renewal culminating in the celebration of the resurrection at Easter. By observing the forty days of Lent, Christians (in some sense) replicate Jesus’ time in the desert for forty days before He began His ministry. The Lenten season is a time to open our hearts to God’s sanctifying grace through the use of prayer, confession of sin, fasting, and alms-giving (Matthew 6:1-10).

Lent is one of my favorite times of the year because it forces me to take a close look at myself and my relationship with Jesus Christ. Lent reminds me of my need to rely on Christ’s grace and that I shouldn’t think too highly of myself.

When I first began to follow the Church calendar I simply mimicked what was modeled for me by my church. Over the years, however, I have come to realize that the Lenten season has the potential to be a season of great spiritual impact in my life and in the life of a congregation. Unfortunately, we have trivialized Lent by the way we choose to celebrate it.

In preparation for Lent, worshipers are exhorted to fast and abstain from things that hinder their walk with the Lord. It should be a season in which we attempt to lay aside every weight and the sin that too easily captivates our hearts and distracts us from running the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1). Hence, we are encouraged to die to self and symbolically ‘give up something for Lent’.  Most Christians who acknowledge the season of Lent make vows that ultimately have little to no impact on their spiritual growth. They vow to give up such trivial things as chocolate, caffeine, a favorite show or some other soft habit. All the while, looking forward to the next Sunday when they will be able to suspend or take a sabbatical from their vow for the day (Sundays are feast days, therefore one should not fast or abstain from God’s good gifts on the Lord’s Day). This approach to Lent is not spiritually healthy, nor is it beneficial. It is my contention that we should reevaluate the way we celebrate Lent in order to better align our focus with Scripture. And how do I propose we do that?

I propose that instead of subtracting something trivial from your life like caffeine or candy, consider subtraction by addition. What do I mean? Consider temporarily adding something to life that requires you to give up some of your time in order to pursue it. For example, this year try to do something that will bring glory to Christ for the full forty days. Something with a kingdom focus. Specifically, I recommend you consider adding a daily, structured time of prayer to your schedule for Lent.  I have decided that I will pray the office of Evening Prayer with my family as much as possible with my family this Lenten season.

I suspect I will miss a few nights, but I suspect I will pray more consistently with my wife during these days, as well. Lent allows us to start simple. We all can make one adjustment for forty days. You too may want to try to pray one portion of the Daily Office (found in the Book of Common Prayer) every day (Morning Prayer, Noon Prayer, Evening Prayer or Compline), except Sunday for the duration of Lent. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Noon Prayer can be done in as little as five to ten minutes. While that may not sound like much, the discipline of regularly praying the office will function as a daily “re-set” or reminder that God is an ever-present help throughout the day.

Lent is a great time to intentionally draw near to the Lord, using the ordinary means of grace (prayer, sacraments and the Word). Think about how you can add a more biblical focus to your life during Lent this year. Commit to reading the Gospels during Lent; if the Lord’s Day attendance has been an issue, commit to attending corporate worship all during Lent. If your church has an evening service that you rarely attend decide to attend every evening service during Lent. Make choices that will have a lasting effect on your life. Stop making trivial vows to the Lord. Eat your candy bar, after all, you’re going to go back to eating it on Easter.

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On March 13, 2019 By In Scribblings, Theology, Wisdom, Worship

Herbertian Lessons for Lent

Guest post from Brian G Daigle, Headmaster of Sequitur Classical Academy

I live in an area where Mardi Gras is in full swing, and I can remember from my upbringing that Fat Tuesday was a last-ditch effort at debauchery before the pseudo-spiritual practice of “giving something up for Lent” really began. In my youth, I would give up some kind of chocolate or candy, something that appeared to be a fast, and I would join others around me in sharing with friends and family what I’ve given up and why. Around day thirty it would turn into some kind of joke about how long I’ve been able to go without this first-world luxury. My aristocratic sacrifice was hardly creating in me a clean heart. Those imaginings still haunt me and each year I must consider anew why this kind of extended fast ought to be recognized. (more…)

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On March 5, 2019 By In Politics, Theology, Worship

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).

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On March 3, 2019 By In Counseling/Piety, Theology

Jesus’ Temptation and Ours: Grasping for Glory

The Transfiguration of Jesus was a taste of future glory. Jesus ascended the mountain to pray, leading Peter, James, and John to join him. While there, the form of Jesus’ face changed and his clothes turned white, like flashing lightning (Lk 9.29). Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke to Jesus about the exodus that he was to accomplish soon in Jerusalem (Lk 9.31). This exodus event would involve his suffering, death, and resurrection, something about which Jesus spoke to his disciples before ascending the mountain (Lk 9.21-22). If any man desired to participate in the exodus and future glory of Christ, he would have to take up his cross daily and follow Christ (Lk 9.25-27).

Before Jesus ascended this mountain to receive a foretaste of future glory, he ascended another mountain. On this mountain, he wasn’t leading disciples. He was being led. On this mountain he would also be promised glory, feasting his eyes on all the kingdoms of the world. But this mountain-top experience was the anti-transfiguration, for it was the promise of the devil.

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On February 26, 2019 By In Podcast, Theology

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.

  1. See link  (back)

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On February 17, 2019 By In Theology

Jesus’ Baptism and Ours

The baptism of Jesus is recorded in some way, shape, or form in all four Gospels. Each evangelist emphasizes a specific aspect of Jesus’ baptism. Matthew looks at the whole ministry of Jesus through Mosaic lenses primarily and puts the baptism of Jesus in a flow of events that recalls the Exodus from Egypt. (There are resonances of this in Mark and Luke as well, but the Mosaic themes stand out in Matthew.) Mark focuses on Jesus as a new David and situates the telling of the story of his baptism in Davidic terms. Luke widens the scope out to the entire world and, with the genealogy of Jesus placed in conjunction with his baptism, homes in Jesus as the new and last Adam.

Luke’s primary concern, it seems, is to put to the forefront how Jesus is anointed to replace all of the old-world, first-Adam rulers he mentions at the beginning of chapter 3. In Christ God is making a new creation, and Jesus’ baptism is integral to that work. Through God’s actions at the baptism of Jesus, we see and hear the patterns clearly established in Genesis 1: the Spirit proceeds out of heaven and God speaks. In the beginning, we saw a formless and empty mass of water hanging in nothingness be shaped and filled. Here we see Jesus, the new creation; the one in whom all things consist. He is the new and last Adam who is appointed to have dominion over the creation by the blessing of being fruitful and multiplying with his bride.

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On February 2, 2019 By In Theology

Reading Genesis with Origen

The homilies of Origen, one of the Church’s earliest and most seminal theologians, give a window into the tone of early Christian exegesis. Peering into that window can help open the eyes of 21st century expositors to the Church’s historical tradition of creative, exciting, and compelling exegesis. I want to give a brief and cursory consideration of Origen’s Bible reading from his first homily on Genesis with an eye to how we, conservative Reformed and evangelical interpreters of Scripture, can learn from his approach. This is neither meant to be a critical interaction, nor a blanket endorsement, but rather an appraisal that sifts through the at-times unhelpful and bizarre to find what might be helpful in our present context.a


Beginning in Christ

The first words of Origen’s first homily on Genesis address, appropriately, the opening verse of Scripture: “In the beginning God made heaven and earth.” How does Origen exposit Genesis 1.1?

What is the beginning of all things except our Lord and “Savior of all,”  Jesus Christ “the firstborn of every creature”? In this beginning, therefore,  that is, in his Word, “God made heaven and earth” as the evangelist John  also says in the beginning of his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word… “

Homily 1.1

Origen’s comments on this verse reflect his hermeneutical presupposition, that the Christian reader does not come to Scripture prima facie, but rather we always read and hear the text in and through Christ. Henri de Lubac, a 20th century Catholic ressourcement theologian strongly influenced by Origen, puts it well: “For a Christian to understand the Bible means to understand it in the light of the Gospel.” (Catholicism, p. 178) God has definitively revealed Himself in the person of His Son, and there is now no going behind that.

Our conservative evangelical tendency is to look for the grammatical-historical interpretation of the text as the primary meaning, and to (maybe) go from there to types, to how the text foreshadows Christ or the life of the Church. Origen shows us, in the pattern of patristic exegesis, that for the Christian the Christological is the primary meaning of the text. Our task when reading the Old Testament is not to find or pick out what things might be pointing to Christ; Jesus has already solved that for us. All of Scripture is fulfilled in Him, in His life, death, and resurrection, and in the continuing life of His body, the Church.

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  1. Full disclosure: I am not an Origen scholar, nor am I a scholar of patristic exegesis more broadly. In fact, I’m rather new to Origen. I write this aware of my ignorance (it has to count for something when one is not ignorant of one’s ignorance, right?) of the philosophical discussions at play. Yet, this ignorance and lack of expertise notwithstanding, there are basic patterns and principles of exegesis shown by Origen that can be highly illuminating and instructive for us.  (back)

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On January 31, 2019 By In Theology, Worship

The Sacramental God

Saint Augustine famously wrote that the sacraments are visible signs of invisible graces. a This definition helps us understand the two sacraments of the Protestant church, surely, but with a little bit of imagination, one can read through the whole of the Scriptures and see sacraments, or at least sacramental imagery, on every page.

For example, in Genesis 1, God set the sun to govern the day and the moon to govern the night. Every day when the sun rises, men rise with it and when the sun sets, men sleep. Throughout Scripture, sleep is representative of death ( Job 14:10-12, Ps. 13:3, Mark 5:39, etc.), so it seems that the cycle of night and day which governs our lives points to the greater reality of death and resurrection. When we go to sleep, we die. When the sun rises, we are born again. In this way, when Christ rose, He signified the rising of a new creation as Colossians 1:15 teaches us, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” As the rising sun governs our day, the risen Son governs all of our lives.

Genesis 2 tell the creation story of what I believe to be perhaps the most meaningful, though that’s not to say the most important, sacramental image of all: mankind. Like water, bread, and wine, the elements that make up Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, Adam was created out of a basic element. Dust. God did not choose the most radiant of his newly formed creation, the sun, to be His image bearer on earth. Nor did He choose animals that will later be used to symbolically describe the Lord, such as the lion or lamb. Instead, God chose to transform the most basic element of His creation into His own representative, fashioning the dust into a being made in His own likeness. It was into the dust of the ground that God breathed His Spirit into. God presented man as His visible representative on earth, just as later Christ presented bread and wine as representations of His body and blood.

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  1. Augustine, On The Catechising of the Uninstructed, 26.50.  (back)

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