Perseverance

 

This Camellia blossomed in the midst of some of the coldest weather of the years, and it did it well.  We can learn something from the Camellia.

 

The Christian Journey from Self-Absorption to Sacrificial Self-Giving

 It is the Lord’s expectation (and of course mine as God’s priest in this place) that we are all making the age-old Christian pilgrimage from self-absorption to self-giving.  By the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we are learning to sacrificially give ourselves for the sake of others.  Sacrificially giving of our time, talent and spiritual gifts for the sake of others is at the heart of what it means to be Kingdom People.  This means that we are all challenged to grow in our discipleship, understand our callings, and pick our ministries.  This journey toward self-giving is a journey toward Christ-likeness, because it is Jesus who is the ultimate giver and who sacrificially gave His life for the sake of all of us. This is our vision, because it is God’s vision.

In the Image of Christ

 

I attended a conference at Trinity Seminary, Ambridge PA this past week.  It is always good to spend time at Trinity, albeit short, immersed in learning something more about the Kingdom of God.  The fellowship and rhythm of seminary worship is also very spiritually refreshing.

 The topic this year was Christian Anthropology. Anthropology is the study of humankind, just as theology is the study of God.  Christian Anthropology is combining the two by studying the relationship of humankind to our Creator. One of my favorite psalms, Psalm 139, was in my mind as we explored this topic this week:

 ¹³For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

 Much of our study centered on human dignity and the source of human dignity.  Secular culture and Christians alike champion this idea of human dignity, but we often end up in different places on how to live it out.  The reason is that Christians think more in terms of the sanctity of life, not just its dignity.  Life is sacred and it is God who decides how it is to be lived out.  It also means that it is God who assigns worth to all human life, and He does it equally, from the yet to be born, to the disabled, to the mentally challenged, to those experiencing the end of their earthly life.  We humans, therefore, do not get to decide who is less human or of less value.

  Christian Anthropology finds its roots in the fact that we are created in the image of God (Imago Dei). Gen 1:27-28 says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.   And God blessed them…”   That image, however, is distorted and tarnished by The Fall (Gen. 3).  Jesus, however, comes as the New Adam to restore the Imago Dei and invites us to take on His likeness.  We are given His Holy Spirit who empowers and guides our life in doing so.

                                                                                                                                                Father Rob

Rod Dreher, "Live Not by Lies"

Rod Dreher, the author of Live Not by Lies, draws on the wisdom of Christian survivors of Soviet persecution to warn American Christians of an approaching danger.

For years, immigrants from the former Soviet bloc have been telling Rod Dreher that they see telltale signs of "soft" totalitarianism cropping up in America, something not unlike Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.  Identity politics is beginning to encroach on every aspect of life. Civil liberties are increasingly seen as a threat to "safety". Progressives marginalize conservative, traditional Christians, and other dissenters. Technology and consumerism hasten the possibility of a corporate surveillance state. And the pandemic, having put millions out of work, leaving our country particularly vulnerable to demagogic manipulation.  In Live Not by Lies, Dreher repeats the alarm sounded by these brave men and women who fought totalitarianism. 

Dreher explains how the totalitarianism facing us today is based less on overt violence and more on psychological manipulation.  He retells the stories of modern-day dissidents, the clergy, laity, martyrs, and confessors from the Soviet Union and other captive nations of Europe, who offer practical advice for how to identify and resist totalitarianism in our time. 

Live Not by Lies offers to American Christians a method for resistance:
  •  SEE:         Acknowledge the reality of the situation.
  •  JUDGE:   Assess reality in the light of what we as Christians know to be true.
  •  ACT:        Take action to protect truth.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said that one of the biggest mistakes people make is to assume totalitarianism can't happen in their country.  Many American Christians are making that mistake today, sleepwalking through the erosion of our freedoms. 

A Faith that Makes a Difference

A relationship with our Lord that is growing, transformative, and makes a difference in our lives and the lives of people around us, does not happen without an intentional, holistic, and balanced spiritual life; therefore, each of us needs to commit to at least these three things in our pilgrimage with Christ:

• We need to commit to being in the Body each Lord’s Day, seeking the face of God and being present to help others do the same.
• Commit to growing in our knowledge and love of the Lord by being a part of at least one of the several spiritual growth gatherings we have weekly.
• Commit to serving others both inside and outside the church family by finding our ministry. 

The idea of this sort of intentional and holistic churchmanship is not new to us or any fellowship that is growing, thriving and honoring God in their lives.

    Father Rob

Progressive Protestantism- Has God Changed His Mind?

In North American Progressive (Liberal) Protestantism, salient questions are being asked about (1) Holy Scripture and (2) the person (divine nature) and work of Christ Jesus.  These two questions are central to Apostolic Christianity and to the historic Faith.  Progressive Protestantism has come up with new answers:

1)       Is Holy Scripture God’s divine revelation about Himself, about us and about His good and perfect will for all creation? 

If it is Scripture, like God Himself, is timeless, immutable and authoritative.  If not, then Scripture can be trumped by modern reason, human desire, individual experience, and cultural mores. The latter is the answer that theologically progressive Protestantism offers to our society in the effort to be relevant to our post-Christian Western Civilization.  In this way, liberal Christianity can be the chaplain to a progressively secular culture and bless the shift toward neo-paganism which is what, more-and-more, defines our society today.  It is ironic that our post-Christian society generally does not seek a blessing from either God or the Church, and both are increasingly marginalized and considered obstacles to progressivism. 

2)       Is Jesus indeed God who has come down to dwell among us to fix what we are incapable of fixing ourselves, which is our corrupt and fallen human nature and our resulting estrangement (fall) away from God? 

This has been the Gospel claim of orthodox Christians from the Apostles on.  Jesus is not just one way to the Father, He is “The Way.”  Jesus the Messiah is God’s unique act of redemption in history on behalf of all humankind.  If this is not so, then the spiritual struggle of humanity to deal with sin will unsuccessfully continue, and falling short of the glory of God is the only result.  The Old Testament Scripture recounts the folly of seeking on our own strength our redemption and healing of our sinful nature. 

 Again, it is ironic that the modern, post-Christian culture generally is not asking for a savior or seeking reconciliation with God.  To seek union and conformity with something larger that oneself is to deny the autonomy of the individual and the ability for each of us to create our own heaven, hope and future.  

Has God changed His mind about His plan for our salvation, or is the Church in the process of changing her mind?  The stakes are high because our hope and eternal future rest in the balance.

Father Rob

Quote from John Stott on the Ideal Church

 marks of the ideal Church - love, suffering, holiness, sound doctrine, genuineness, evangelism and humility." -- John Stott