Oh yeah, these are the guys I want to work on the budget in Washington: mainline Protestant church leaders. Yuck. What in their theological training and church hierarchy careers has prepared them for secular politics?
Of course "a prophetic voice" is shorthand for "predictable leftist mishmash".
And a "Lutheran" leads them. How is this for the doctrine of the two kingdoms? What kind of Gospel is he exactly living out?
Added the Rev. Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: "Our voices of opposition were heard, and have provided a tangible sign that the church is living out the gospel of Jesus Christ ... in our own day."
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Lord of the Rings Christian?
The author thought so.
Much has been made of the overtly Christian message of Narnia. Many critics say it diminishes the work as fiction and literature. Many critics also unfavorably compare Lewis' work to Tolkien's LOTR which is portrayed as mythic but not Christian.
However, there is a nice little letter to the editor in the latest New Yorker. Adam Gopnik had, in the November 21st isssue of the New Yorker asserted the usual about LOTR not being "Christian". Lydia Carr of Oxford quotes a letter Tolkien wrote to Robert Murray in 1953. Tolkien wrote: :
The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision ... the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.
Interesting.
Much has been made of the overtly Christian message of Narnia. Many critics say it diminishes the work as fiction and literature. Many critics also unfavorably compare Lewis' work to Tolkien's LOTR which is portrayed as mythic but not Christian.
However, there is a nice little letter to the editor in the latest New Yorker. Adam Gopnik had, in the November 21st isssue of the New Yorker asserted the usual about LOTR not being "Christian". Lydia Carr of Oxford quotes a letter Tolkien wrote to Robert Murray in 1953. Tolkien wrote: :
The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision ... the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.
Interesting.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Chrysostom Christmas
The Nativity Sermon of St. John Chrysostom
"I behold a new and wondrous mystery!
My ears resound to the shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but loudly chanting a heavenly hymn!
The angels sing!
The archangels blend their voices in harmony!
The cherubim resound their joyful praise!
The Seraphim exalt His glory!
All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead herein... on earth and man in heaven. He who is above now, for our salvation, dwells here below; and we, who were lowly, are exalted by divine mercy!
Today Bethlehem resembles heaven, hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices and, in place of the sun, witnessing the rising of the Sun of Justice!
Ask not how this is accomplished, for where God wills, the order of nature is overturned. For He willed He had the powers He descended. He saved. All things move in obedience to God.
Today He Who Is, is born ! And He Who Is becomes what He was not! For when He was God, He became man-while not relinquishing the Godhead that is His...
And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him angels, nor archangels, nor thrones, nor dominions, nor powers, nor principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.
Yet He has not forsaken His angels, nor left them deprived of His care, nor because of His incarnation has He ceased being God. And behold kings have come, that they might serve the Leader of the Hosts of Heaven; Women, that they might adore Him Who was born of a woman so that He might change the pains of childbirth into joy; Virgins, to the Son of the Virgin...
Infants, that they may adore Him who became a little child, so that out of the mouths of infants He might perfect praise; Children, to the Child who raised up martyrs through the rage of Herod; Men, to Him who became man that He might heal the miseries of His servants;
Shepherds, to the Good Shepherd who was laid down His life for His sheep;
Priests, to Him who has become a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek;
Servants, to Him who took upon Himself the form of a servant, that He might bless our stewardship with the reward of freedom (Philippians 2:7);
Fishermen, to the Fisher of humanity;
Publicans, to Him who from among them named a chosen evangelist;
Sinful women, to Him who exposed His feet to the tears of the repentant woman;
And that I may embrace them all together, all sinners have come, that they may look upon the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Since, therefore, all rejoice, I too desire to rejoice! I too wish to share the choral dance, to celebrate the festival! But I take my part, not plucking the harp nor with the music of the pipes nor holding a torch, but holding in my arms the cradle of Christ!
For this is all my hope!
This is my life!
This is my salvation!
This is my pipe, my harp!
And bearing it I come, and having from its power received the gift of speech, I too, with the angels and shepherds, sing:
"Glory to God in the Highest! and on earth peace to men of good will! "
"I behold a new and wondrous mystery!
My ears resound to the shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but loudly chanting a heavenly hymn!
The angels sing!
The archangels blend their voices in harmony!
The cherubim resound their joyful praise!
The Seraphim exalt His glory!
All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead herein... on earth and man in heaven. He who is above now, for our salvation, dwells here below; and we, who were lowly, are exalted by divine mercy!
Today Bethlehem resembles heaven, hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices and, in place of the sun, witnessing the rising of the Sun of Justice!
Ask not how this is accomplished, for where God wills, the order of nature is overturned. For He willed He had the powers He descended. He saved. All things move in obedience to God.
Today He Who Is, is born ! And He Who Is becomes what He was not! For when He was God, He became man-while not relinquishing the Godhead that is His...
And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him angels, nor archangels, nor thrones, nor dominions, nor powers, nor principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.
Yet He has not forsaken His angels, nor left them deprived of His care, nor because of His incarnation has He ceased being God. And behold kings have come, that they might serve the Leader of the Hosts of Heaven; Women, that they might adore Him Who was born of a woman so that He might change the pains of childbirth into joy; Virgins, to the Son of the Virgin...
Infants, that they may adore Him who became a little child, so that out of the mouths of infants He might perfect praise; Children, to the Child who raised up martyrs through the rage of Herod; Men, to Him who became man that He might heal the miseries of His servants;
Shepherds, to the Good Shepherd who was laid down His life for His sheep;
Priests, to Him who has become a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek;
Servants, to Him who took upon Himself the form of a servant, that He might bless our stewardship with the reward of freedom (Philippians 2:7);
Fishermen, to the Fisher of humanity;
Publicans, to Him who from among them named a chosen evangelist;
Sinful women, to Him who exposed His feet to the tears of the repentant woman;
And that I may embrace them all together, all sinners have come, that they may look upon the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Since, therefore, all rejoice, I too desire to rejoice! I too wish to share the choral dance, to celebrate the festival! But I take my part, not plucking the harp nor with the music of the pipes nor holding a torch, but holding in my arms the cradle of Christ!
For this is all my hope!
This is my life!
This is my salvation!
This is my pipe, my harp!
And bearing it I come, and having from its power received the gift of speech, I too, with the angels and shepherds, sing:
"Glory to God in the Highest! and on earth peace to men of good will! "
Friday, December 23, 2005
One Benefit of Growing Old
British store owners seeking to drive away obnoxious, congregating teenagers have turned to security consultant Howard Stapleton's recent invention, similar to a dog whistle, that emits a high-frequency sound audible to most teens but few older people. "The Mosquito" (it's "small and annoying," Stapleton told a New York Times reporter, who vouched that she couldn't hear it, either) emits what one merchant called a pulsating chirp, not painful but surely irritating. A professor of neurophysiology verified that the ability to hear high frequency dissipates with age but that some people in their 20s and 30s could probably still hear it. [New York Times, 11-29-05]
From News of the Weird
From News of the Weird
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Mary Ever Virgin
Here are a few comments I posted on Stan Lemon's site. Stan is doing some good thinking on the continuing virginity of Mary.
In the little reading in the fathers I have done on this matter, the utero clauso(the closed womb), the miraculous birth of Christ from a virgin while she remained a virgin is tied up with with the sinlessness of Christ and his pure birth.
That is, virginity was for some in the early church shorthand for purity and sinlessness. The implication is that if Mary conceived as a virgin but did not remain one through the birth, Christ's birth would be stained and his own sinlessness would be in question.
The virgin remaining virgin through the birth was then a way for the fathers to say that in both mother and father of Jesus, there was no sin involved.
The continuing virignity of Mary has less to do with Christ direclty but as you say more to do with the church. Mary is the mother of Christ and we are his brothers and so she stands for the church. Her continuing virginity then stands for the purity of the church in cleaving only to her Lord and to no one else.
It is a theological statement in the end not a biological one.
In the little reading in the fathers I have done on this matter, the utero clauso(the closed womb), the miraculous birth of Christ from a virgin while she remained a virgin is tied up with with the sinlessness of Christ and his pure birth.
That is, virginity was for some in the early church shorthand for purity and sinlessness. The implication is that if Mary conceived as a virgin but did not remain one through the birth, Christ's birth would be stained and his own sinlessness would be in question.
The virgin remaining virgin through the birth was then a way for the fathers to say that in both mother and father of Jesus, there was no sin involved.
The continuing virignity of Mary has less to do with Christ direclty but as you say more to do with the church. Mary is the mother of Christ and we are his brothers and so she stands for the church. Her continuing virginity then stands for the purity of the church in cleaving only to her Lord and to no one else.
It is a theological statement in the end not a biological one.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Luther on the Great Exchange
What I just posted on Christ on earth and humanity in heaven in the early fathers is also clearly taught by Luther.
Read on :
Faith unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. By this mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul become one flesh [Eph. 5:31-32]. And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage - indeed the most perfect of all marriages, since human marriages are but poor examples of this one true marriage - it follows that everything they have they hold in common, the good as well as the evil.
Accordingly the believing soul can boast of and glory in whatever Christ has as though it were its own, and whatever the soul has Christ claims as his own. Let us compare these and we shall see inestimable benefits. Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation. The soul is full of sins, death, and damnation. Now let faith come between them and sins, death, and damnation will be Christ's, while grace, life, and salvation will be the soul's; for if Christ is a bridegroom, he must take upon himself the things which are his bride's and bestow upon her the things that are his. If he gives her his body and very self, how shall he not give her all that is his? And if he takes the body of the bride, how shall he not take all that is hers?
Treatise on Christian Liberty (The Freedom of a Christian), AE, Vo. 31.
This now defunct blog saved me from typing all this out. I am a horrible typist. I took typing high school but lack the hand to eye to brain coordination necessary for such a task. I can, however, chew gum, walk and think at the same time. Cool!
Read on :
Faith unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. By this mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul become one flesh [Eph. 5:31-32]. And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage - indeed the most perfect of all marriages, since human marriages are but poor examples of this one true marriage - it follows that everything they have they hold in common, the good as well as the evil.
Accordingly the believing soul can boast of and glory in whatever Christ has as though it were its own, and whatever the soul has Christ claims as his own. Let us compare these and we shall see inestimable benefits. Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation. The soul is full of sins, death, and damnation. Now let faith come between them and sins, death, and damnation will be Christ's, while grace, life, and salvation will be the soul's; for if Christ is a bridegroom, he must take upon himself the things which are his bride's and bestow upon her the things that are his. If he gives her his body and very self, how shall he not give her all that is his? And if he takes the body of the bride, how shall he not take all that is hers?
Treatise on Christian Liberty (The Freedom of a Christian), AE, Vo. 31.
This now defunct blog saved me from typing all this out. I am a horrible typist. I took typing high school but lack the hand to eye to brain coordination necessary for such a task. I can, however, chew gum, walk and think at the same time. Cool!
Bethlehem hath become like unto heaven
One of the recurring themes of sermons and discourses on the nativity of Christ in the early church is the idea of exchange. Christmas is a mystery wherein we see the God of heaven on earth and humanity in heaven.
For Christians accustomed to Luke 2 sermons where the story is the an end to itself this idea might seem strange. Where at Christmas do we see humanity in heaven? But for the fathers the Christmas story, the bare facts of what happened, was never an end to itself but an invitation to meditate upon the glorious Incarnation of God in human flesh.
The nativity of Christ is a gracious condescending of the true and holy God into the flesh of sinners. God deigns to take the form of servant, becoming one flesh with us. The God who is one flesh with us lowers himself but that lowering means a raising up for us. We are one flesh with the Creator, the Word, the Son God from God and where he is, we are. The Son has become flesh and is present in the manger but never ceases to be Lord of all. So we are one with him in the heavens. Where he is -- ruling over all, in the unending joy and peace of heaven -- we are also.
Here is bit of sermon by St Gregory Thaumatourgos Bishop of Neo-Caesarea that illustrates a little of this. Here is all of it.
Brethren, we behold now a great and wondrous mystery. Shepherds with cries of joy come forth as messengers to the sons of mankind, not on their hilly pastures with their flocks conversing and not in the field with their sheep frolicking, but rather in the city of David Bethlehem spiritual songs exclaiming. In the highest sing Angels, proclaiming hymns Archangelic; the heavenly Cherubim and Seraphim sing out raises to the glory of God: "Holy, Holy, Holy..."
Together all do celebrate this joyous feast, beholding God upon the earth, and mankind of earth amidst the heavens. By Divine providence the far distant are uplifted to the highest, and the highest, through the love of God for mankind, have bent down to the far distant, wherefore the Most High, through His humility, "is exalted through humility." On this day of great festivity Bethlehem hath become like unto heaven, taking place amidst the glittering stars are Angels singing glory, and taking the place of the visible sun -- is the indefinable and immeasurable Sun of Truth, having made all things that do exist.
But who would dare investigate so great a mystery? "Wherein God doth wish it, herein the order of nature is overturned", and laws cannot impede. And so, of that which was impossible for mankind to undertake, God did aspire and did descend, making for the salvation of mankind, since in the will of God this is life for all mankind.
For Christians accustomed to Luke 2 sermons where the story is the an end to itself this idea might seem strange. Where at Christmas do we see humanity in heaven? But for the fathers the Christmas story, the bare facts of what happened, was never an end to itself but an invitation to meditate upon the glorious Incarnation of God in human flesh.
The nativity of Christ is a gracious condescending of the true and holy God into the flesh of sinners. God deigns to take the form of servant, becoming one flesh with us. The God who is one flesh with us lowers himself but that lowering means a raising up for us. We are one flesh with the Creator, the Word, the Son God from God and where he is, we are. The Son has become flesh and is present in the manger but never ceases to be Lord of all. So we are one with him in the heavens. Where he is -- ruling over all, in the unending joy and peace of heaven -- we are also.
Here is bit of sermon by St Gregory Thaumatourgos Bishop of Neo-Caesarea that illustrates a little of this. Here is all of it.
Brethren, we behold now a great and wondrous mystery. Shepherds with cries of joy come forth as messengers to the sons of mankind, not on their hilly pastures with their flocks conversing and not in the field with their sheep frolicking, but rather in the city of David Bethlehem spiritual songs exclaiming. In the highest sing Angels, proclaiming hymns Archangelic; the heavenly Cherubim and Seraphim sing out raises to the glory of God: "Holy, Holy, Holy..."
Together all do celebrate this joyous feast, beholding God upon the earth, and mankind of earth amidst the heavens. By Divine providence the far distant are uplifted to the highest, and the highest, through the love of God for mankind, have bent down to the far distant, wherefore the Most High, through His humility, "is exalted through humility." On this day of great festivity Bethlehem hath become like unto heaven, taking place amidst the glittering stars are Angels singing glory, and taking the place of the visible sun -- is the indefinable and immeasurable Sun of Truth, having made all things that do exist.
But who would dare investigate so great a mystery? "Wherein God doth wish it, herein the order of nature is overturned", and laws cannot impede. And so, of that which was impossible for mankind to undertake, God did aspire and did descend, making for the salvation of mankind, since in the will of God this is life for all mankind.
I am a bad blogger, bad blogger
I guess part of blog etiquette is putting up a decent blog roll so those that read yours can read others.
Well, I am bad at this. So I direct you to these others fine blogs who have much nicer and exhaustive blogrolls:
Aardvark Alley
Burr
Cyberstones
Well, I am bad at this. So I direct you to these others fine blogs who have much nicer and exhaustive blogrolls:
Aardvark Alley
Burr
Cyberstones
Latest Lutheran Carnival is up
Here it is. Aardvarck guy has done a fine job. It is loaded with entries.
I have not kept up with the carnival but it is clear it is doing very well. Worth the time to look through, read and contribute.
I have not kept up with the carnival but it is clear it is doing very well. Worth the time to look through, read and contribute.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Birth of the Head is the birth of the body
Another classic sermon from Leo, bishop of Rome, 5th century. This is from Sermon 26, On the Nativity. Note these mind-blowing-never-grow-old items:
The creator is born of one whom He himself created.
The Incarnation means God is tangible.
As the body of Christ, that is as the baptized, we are born with Christ just as we are crucifed with him. The nativity is a baptismal feast!
On all days at all times, dearly beloved, does the birth of our Lord and Saviour from the Virgin-mother occur to the thoughts of the faithful, who meditate on divine things, that the mind may be aroused to the acknowledgment of its Maker, may employ its spiritual insight on the fact that God the Son of God, begotten of the co-eternal Father, was born by a human birth.
But this Nativity which is to be adored in heaven and on earth is suggested to us by no day more than this when, with the early light still shedding its rays on nature, there is borne in upon our senses the brightness of this wondrous mystery. For the angel Gabriel's converse with the astonished Mary and her conception by the Holy Ghost as wondrously promised as believed, seem to recur not only to the memory but to the very eyes.
For to-day the Maker of the world was born of a Virgin's womb, and He, who made all natures, became Son of her, whom He created. To-day the Word of God appeared clothed in flesh, and That which had never been visible to human eyes began to be tangible to our hands as well. To-day the shepherds learned from angels' voices that the Saviour was born in the substance of our flesh and soul; and to-day the form of the Gospel message was prearranged by the leaders of the Lord's flocks, so that we too may say with the army of the heavenly host: "Glory in the highest to God, and on earth peace to men of good will."
Although, therefore, that infancy, which the majesty of God's Son did not disdain, reached mature manhood by the growth of years and, when the triumph of His passion and resurrection was completed, all the actions of humility which were undertaken for us ceased, yet to-day's festival renews for us the holy childhood of Jesus born of the Virgin Mary; and in adoring the birth of our Saviour, we find we are celebrating the commencement of our own life. For the birth of Christ is the source of life for Christian folk, and the birthday of the Head is the birthday of the body.
Although every individual that is called has his own order, and all the sons of the Church are separated from one another by intervals of time, yet as the entire body of the faithful being born in the font of baptism is crucified with Christ in His passion, raised again in His resurrection, and placed at the Father's right hand in His ascension, so with Him are they born in this nativity.
For any believer in whatever part of the world that is re-born in Christ, quits the old paths of his original nature and passes into a new man by being re-born; and no longer is he reckoned of his earthly father's stock but among the seed of the Saviour, Who became the Son of the man in order that we might have the power to be the sons of God. For unless He came down to us in this humiliation, no one would reach His presence by any merits of his own. At the end of the ages is fulfilled that which was ordained from all eternity; and in the presence of realities, when signs and types have ceased, the Law and prophecy have become Truth; and so Abraham is found the father of all nations, and the promised blessing is given to the world in his seed. We with Abraham believe in God and "waver not through unbelief," but "know most assuredly that what the Lord promised, He is able to perform."
The creator is born of one whom He himself created.
The Incarnation means God is tangible.
As the body of Christ, that is as the baptized, we are born with Christ just as we are crucifed with him. The nativity is a baptismal feast!
On all days at all times, dearly beloved, does the birth of our Lord and Saviour from the Virgin-mother occur to the thoughts of the faithful, who meditate on divine things, that the mind may be aroused to the acknowledgment of its Maker, may employ its spiritual insight on the fact that God the Son of God, begotten of the co-eternal Father, was born by a human birth.
But this Nativity which is to be adored in heaven and on earth is suggested to us by no day more than this when, with the early light still shedding its rays on nature, there is borne in upon our senses the brightness of this wondrous mystery. For the angel Gabriel's converse with the astonished Mary and her conception by the Holy Ghost as wondrously promised as believed, seem to recur not only to the memory but to the very eyes.
For to-day the Maker of the world was born of a Virgin's womb, and He, who made all natures, became Son of her, whom He created. To-day the Word of God appeared clothed in flesh, and That which had never been visible to human eyes began to be tangible to our hands as well. To-day the shepherds learned from angels' voices that the Saviour was born in the substance of our flesh and soul; and to-day the form of the Gospel message was prearranged by the leaders of the Lord's flocks, so that we too may say with the army of the heavenly host: "Glory in the highest to God, and on earth peace to men of good will."
Although, therefore, that infancy, which the majesty of God's Son did not disdain, reached mature manhood by the growth of years and, when the triumph of His passion and resurrection was completed, all the actions of humility which were undertaken for us ceased, yet to-day's festival renews for us the holy childhood of Jesus born of the Virgin Mary; and in adoring the birth of our Saviour, we find we are celebrating the commencement of our own life. For the birth of Christ is the source of life for Christian folk, and the birthday of the Head is the birthday of the body.
Although every individual that is called has his own order, and all the sons of the Church are separated from one another by intervals of time, yet as the entire body of the faithful being born in the font of baptism is crucified with Christ in His passion, raised again in His resurrection, and placed at the Father's right hand in His ascension, so with Him are they born in this nativity.
For any believer in whatever part of the world that is re-born in Christ, quits the old paths of his original nature and passes into a new man by being re-born; and no longer is he reckoned of his earthly father's stock but among the seed of the Saviour, Who became the Son of the man in order that we might have the power to be the sons of God. For unless He came down to us in this humiliation, no one would reach His presence by any merits of his own. At the end of the ages is fulfilled that which was ordained from all eternity; and in the presence of realities, when signs and types have ceased, the Law and prophecy have become Truth; and so Abraham is found the father of all nations, and the promised blessing is given to the world in his seed. We with Abraham believe in God and "waver not through unbelief," but "know most assuredly that what the Lord promised, He is able to perform."
Mary
This last Sunday in the three year series was given over to Mary, the Visitation.
Advent is filled with three major characters who prepare the way for our Lord: Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Mary, mother of God.
Reflections on Mary are always fruitful and always lead to reflections on the Gospel, church and faith. Mary stands for or represents "us" in the Christmas narrative, she is the model of the one who receives Christ. Her hearing of the Word from the angel and faith latching onto it and the Holy Spirit conceiving Christ in her womb is all the pattern for the Church.
The pastor is an angel proclaiming to the church the Word and the church recieves that word in faith and the Holy Spirit creates Chrsit in the midst of the church. The words of the angel to Mary apply to the church : Hail, church, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Mary and the church "is" mother earth, receiving the graciosu giving of the Father and bringing forth fruit. She is faithful and not fallen Eve holding to the Word of the Lord and not succumbing to another word.
Mary also points to the fact that the Church is the bride of Christ, who receives her Lord and becomes one flesh with him. The mystery of child birth is bound up with the mystery of matrimony. The one flesh of man and wife lead to the one flesh and mother and child.
Advent is filled with three major characters who prepare the way for our Lord: Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Mary, mother of God.
Reflections on Mary are always fruitful and always lead to reflections on the Gospel, church and faith. Mary stands for or represents "us" in the Christmas narrative, she is the model of the one who receives Christ. Her hearing of the Word from the angel and faith latching onto it and the Holy Spirit conceiving Christ in her womb is all the pattern for the Church.
The pastor is an angel proclaiming to the church the Word and the church recieves that word in faith and the Holy Spirit creates Chrsit in the midst of the church. The words of the angel to Mary apply to the church : Hail, church, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Mary and the church "is" mother earth, receiving the graciosu giving of the Father and bringing forth fruit. She is faithful and not fallen Eve holding to the Word of the Lord and not succumbing to another word.
Mary also points to the fact that the Church is the bride of Christ, who receives her Lord and becomes one flesh with him. The mystery of child birth is bound up with the mystery of matrimony. The one flesh of man and wife lead to the one flesh and mother and child.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Christian, acknowledge thy dignity
This is a classic. Leo the Great, bishop of Rome. Mid 5th century.
Sermon 21, Homily I by Pope St Leo the Great
Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity.
No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord the destroyer of sin and death finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life.
For the Son of God in the fulness of time which the inscrutable depth of the Divine counsel has determined, has taken on him the nature of man, thereby to reconcile it to its Author: in order that the inventor of death, the devil, might be conquered through that (nature) which he had conquered.
And in this conflict undertaken for us, the fight was fought on great and wondrous principles of fairness; for the Almighty Lord enters the lists with His savage foe not in His own majesty but in our humility, opposing him with the same form and the same nature, which shares indeed our mortality, though it is free from all sin. Truly foreign to this nativity is that which we read of all others, "no one is clean from stain, not even the infant who has lived but one day upon earth." Nothing therefore of the lust of the flesh has passed into that peerless nativity, nothing of the law of sin has entered.
A royal Virgin of the stem of David is chosen, to be impregnated with the sacred seed and to conceive the Divinely-human offspring in mind first and then in body. And lest in ignorance of the heavenly counsel she should tremble at so strange a result, she learns from converse with the angel that what is to be wrought in her is of the Holy Ghost. Nor does she believe it loss of honour that she is soon to be the Mother of God. For why should she be in despair over the novelty of such conception, to whom the power of the most High has promised to effect it. Her implicit faith is confirmed also by the attestation of a precursory miracle, and Elizabeth receives unexpected fertility: in order that there might be no doubt that He who had given conception to the barren, would give it even to a virgin.
Therefore the Word of God, Himself God,the Son of God who "in the beginning was with God," through whom "all things were made" and "without" whom "was nothing made[4] ," with the purpose of delivering man from eternal death, became man: so bending Himself to take on Him our humility without decrease in His own majesty, that remaining what He was and assuming what He was not, He might unite the true form of a slave to that form in which He is equal to God the Father, and join both natures together by such a compact that the lower should not be swallowed up in its exaltation nor the higher impaired by its new associate.
Without detriment therefore to the properties of either substance which then came together in one person, majesty took on humility, strength weakness, eternity mortality: and for the paying off of the debt, belonging to our condition, inviolable naturewas united with possible nature, and true God and true man were combined to form one Lord, SO that, as suited the needs of our case, one and the same Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, could both die with the one and rise again with the other.
Rightly therefore did the birth of our Salvation impart no corruption to the Virgin's purity, because the bearing of the Truth was the keeping of honour. Such then beloved was the nativity which became the Power of God and the Wisdom of God even Christ, whereby He might be one with us in manhood and surpass us in Godhead. For unless He were true God, He would not bring us a remedy, unless He were true Man, He would not give us an example.
Therefore the exulting angel's song when the Lord was born is this, "Glory to God in the Highest," and their message, "peace on earth to men of good will." For they see that the heavenly Jerusalem is being built up out of all the nations of the world: and over that indescribable work of the Divine love how ought the humbleness of men to rejoice, when the joy of the lofty angels is so great?
Let us then, dearly beloved, give thanks to God the Father, through His Son, in the Holy Spirit[8] , Who "for His great mercy, wherewith He has loved us," has had pity on us: and "when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together in Christ[9] ," that we might be in Him a new creation and a new production. Let us put off then the old man with his deeds: and having obtained a share in the birth of Christ let us renounce the works of the flesh.
Christian, acknowledge thy dignity, and becoming a partner in the Divine nature, refuse to return to the old baseness by degenerate conduct. Remember the Head and the Body of which thou art a member. Recollect that thou wert rescued from the power of darkness and brought out into God's light and kingdom. By the mystery of Baptism thou weft made the temple of the Holy Ghost: do not put such a denizen to flight from thee by base acts, and subject thyself once more to the devil's thraldom: because thy purchase money is the blood of Christ, because He shall judge thee in truth Who ransomed thee in mercy, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Sermon 21, Homily I by Pope St Leo the Great
Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity.
No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord the destroyer of sin and death finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life.
For the Son of God in the fulness of time which the inscrutable depth of the Divine counsel has determined, has taken on him the nature of man, thereby to reconcile it to its Author: in order that the inventor of death, the devil, might be conquered through that (nature) which he had conquered.
And in this conflict undertaken for us, the fight was fought on great and wondrous principles of fairness; for the Almighty Lord enters the lists with His savage foe not in His own majesty but in our humility, opposing him with the same form and the same nature, which shares indeed our mortality, though it is free from all sin. Truly foreign to this nativity is that which we read of all others, "no one is clean from stain, not even the infant who has lived but one day upon earth." Nothing therefore of the lust of the flesh has passed into that peerless nativity, nothing of the law of sin has entered.
A royal Virgin of the stem of David is chosen, to be impregnated with the sacred seed and to conceive the Divinely-human offspring in mind first and then in body. And lest in ignorance of the heavenly counsel she should tremble at so strange a result, she learns from converse with the angel that what is to be wrought in her is of the Holy Ghost. Nor does she believe it loss of honour that she is soon to be the Mother of God. For why should she be in despair over the novelty of such conception, to whom the power of the most High has promised to effect it. Her implicit faith is confirmed also by the attestation of a precursory miracle, and Elizabeth receives unexpected fertility: in order that there might be no doubt that He who had given conception to the barren, would give it even to a virgin.
Therefore the Word of God, Himself God,the Son of God who "in the beginning was with God," through whom "all things were made" and "without" whom "was nothing made[4] ," with the purpose of delivering man from eternal death, became man: so bending Himself to take on Him our humility without decrease in His own majesty, that remaining what He was and assuming what He was not, He might unite the true form of a slave to that form in which He is equal to God the Father, and join both natures together by such a compact that the lower should not be swallowed up in its exaltation nor the higher impaired by its new associate.
Without detriment therefore to the properties of either substance which then came together in one person, majesty took on humility, strength weakness, eternity mortality: and for the paying off of the debt, belonging to our condition, inviolable naturewas united with possible nature, and true God and true man were combined to form one Lord, SO that, as suited the needs of our case, one and the same Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, could both die with the one and rise again with the other.
Rightly therefore did the birth of our Salvation impart no corruption to the Virgin's purity, because the bearing of the Truth was the keeping of honour. Such then beloved was the nativity which became the Power of God and the Wisdom of God even Christ, whereby He might be one with us in manhood and surpass us in Godhead. For unless He were true God, He would not bring us a remedy, unless He were true Man, He would not give us an example.
Therefore the exulting angel's song when the Lord was born is this, "Glory to God in the Highest," and their message, "peace on earth to men of good will." For they see that the heavenly Jerusalem is being built up out of all the nations of the world: and over that indescribable work of the Divine love how ought the humbleness of men to rejoice, when the joy of the lofty angels is so great?
Let us then, dearly beloved, give thanks to God the Father, through His Son, in the Holy Spirit[8] , Who "for His great mercy, wherewith He has loved us," has had pity on us: and "when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together in Christ[9] ," that we might be in Him a new creation and a new production. Let us put off then the old man with his deeds: and having obtained a share in the birth of Christ let us renounce the works of the flesh.
Christian, acknowledge thy dignity, and becoming a partner in the Divine nature, refuse to return to the old baseness by degenerate conduct. Remember the Head and the Body of which thou art a member. Recollect that thou wert rescued from the power of darkness and brought out into God's light and kingdom. By the mystery of Baptism thou weft made the temple of the Holy Ghost: do not put such a denizen to flight from thee by base acts, and subject thyself once more to the devil's thraldom: because thy purchase money is the blood of Christ, because He shall judge thee in truth Who ransomed thee in mercy, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Eve, Mary and Us
One and unique was Mary's child, the only Son of his Father in heaven and the only son of his mother on earth.
Mary alone was virgin-mother, and it is her glory to have borne the Father's only Son. But now she embraces that only son of hers in all his members. She is not ashamed to be called the mother of all those in whom she recognizes that Christ her Son has been or is on the point of being formed.
Our ancient mother Eve was more of a stepmother than a true mother, passing on to her children the sentence of death before bringing them into the light of day. Her name indeed means "mother of all the living, " but she proved more truly to be the slayer of the living or the mother of the dying, since for her to give birth was to
transmit death.
Eve being unable to respond faithfuIly to the meaning of her name, its mysterious import was fully expressed by Mary. Like the Church of which she is the model, Mary is the mother of all who are born again to new life. She is the mother of him who is the Life by which all things live; when she bore him, she gave new birth in a sense to all who were to live by his life.
Guerric of Igny
Mary alone was virgin-mother, and it is her glory to have borne the Father's only Son. But now she embraces that only son of hers in all his members. She is not ashamed to be called the mother of all those in whom she recognizes that Christ her Son has been or is on the point of being formed.
Our ancient mother Eve was more of a stepmother than a true mother, passing on to her children the sentence of death before bringing them into the light of day. Her name indeed means "mother of all the living, " but she proved more truly to be the slayer of the living or the mother of the dying, since for her to give birth was to
transmit death.
Eve being unable to respond faithfuIly to the meaning of her name, its mysterious import was fully expressed by Mary. Like the Church of which she is the model, Mary is the mother of all who are born again to new life. She is the mother of him who is the Life by which all things live; when she bore him, she gave new birth in a sense to all who were to live by his life.
Guerric of Igny
Six
Six things I am really tired of hearing about
1. New Orleans … Call me heartless but if I hear one more tear jerker story about about how "I lost everything" and about rebuilding and the devastation and how Bush let them all down, I will flood my own house and apply for disaster relief.
2. Missions ... Ok, I was tired of this 17 years ago in my first year at sem but now I am really, really tired of it. People are not brought into the ark of salvation by complaining and berating us about the billions dying and going to hell. They are rescued by the Gospel.
3. Celebrity divorces .. Hey, I do not pay attention to them (I don’t read People Magazine, I really don’t, not one bit of it!) but celebrity divorces should not be news. They are about as surprising as getting wet in a swimming pool. Repeat after me : Celebrities are not people, they are not real, they are fantasies, they are consumer myths created to sell things.
4. How the digital technology is going change everything ... What is the old saying? In a hundred years we will be able to get to Paris in 5 minutes but we will still be late. I-pods and on demand movies do not constitute a cultural transformation.
5. How books are going away … If books are going away, they are all ending up in my study. Getting hard to move around.
6. Cordoroy pants … Actually, I haven't heard alot about them but this is a cool site.
1. New Orleans … Call me heartless but if I hear one more tear jerker story about about how "I lost everything" and about rebuilding and the devastation and how Bush let them all down, I will flood my own house and apply for disaster relief.
2. Missions ... Ok, I was tired of this 17 years ago in my first year at sem but now I am really, really tired of it. People are not brought into the ark of salvation by complaining and berating us about the billions dying and going to hell. They are rescued by the Gospel.
3. Celebrity divorces .. Hey, I do not pay attention to them (I don’t read People Magazine, I really don’t, not one bit of it!) but celebrity divorces should not be news. They are about as surprising as getting wet in a swimming pool. Repeat after me : Celebrities are not people, they are not real, they are fantasies, they are consumer myths created to sell things.
4. How the digital technology is going change everything ... What is the old saying? In a hundred years we will be able to get to Paris in 5 minutes but we will still be late. I-pods and on demand movies do not constitute a cultural transformation.
5. How books are going away … If books are going away, they are all ending up in my study. Getting hard to move around.
6. Cordoroy pants … Actually, I haven't heard alot about them but this is a cool site.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Lutheran Pastor Becomes an Orthodox Jew
He wrote a book. He was a pastor in the Finnish state church.
Here is an excerpt from the review in the Jerusalem Post :
The holy Torah is like fresh spring water, pure and clean. You can't get any better guidelines for life, because it is life itself. Other religions might have bits and pieces of it, but the Torah is pure, genuine, original and true. None of these adjectives could describe Christianity,' he says.
For Brunell, converting was as much about embracing Judaism as it was about rejecting Christianity.
'Many Christians claim the New Testament is like the second floor of a two-story building, built on the Hebrew Tanach (Bible). There is only one problem: the original blueprint does not include any second floor. It doesn't even allow a second floor to be built,' says Brunell, referring to Devarim 4:2, which reads, 'You shall not add to the word I command you, nor shall you subtract from it.'
'This is replacement theology.'
At least he is honest and rejects Christ when he embraces Judaism and does not try to yoke them together and practice the holy religion of tolerance and inclusivity.
Here is an excerpt from the review in the Jerusalem Post :
The holy Torah is like fresh spring water, pure and clean. You can't get any better guidelines for life, because it is life itself. Other religions might have bits and pieces of it, but the Torah is pure, genuine, original and true. None of these adjectives could describe Christianity,' he says.
For Brunell, converting was as much about embracing Judaism as it was about rejecting Christianity.
'Many Christians claim the New Testament is like the second floor of a two-story building, built on the Hebrew Tanach (Bible). There is only one problem: the original blueprint does not include any second floor. It doesn't even allow a second floor to be built,' says Brunell, referring to Devarim 4:2, which reads, 'You shall not add to the word I command you, nor shall you subtract from it.'
'This is replacement theology.'
At least he is honest and rejects Christ when he embraces Judaism and does not try to yoke them together and practice the holy religion of tolerance and inclusivity.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Random Facts
Petersen tagged me to reveal five random facts about myself and to tag unto others.
Five Random Alms facts
1. I love Survivor. Yes, it is garbage TV but it is, for some reason, endlessly fascinating to me. One thing I do not like however, is the obligatory worship of false idols segment. Every season, the show is located in some distant part of the world where idols and false religions were and/or are practiced and the contestants are made to particpate in the false religion at some point. They call it appreciating the culture. I call it the "say bye-bye to Jesus" episode. What the martyrs died rather than particpate in, the survivors get a million to do. Go figure. But, really, I like the show.
2. When growing up I lived in these metro areas: Hosuton, TX; SF, California; New Orleans, LA; Cincinnati, OH; Philadelphia, PA; and Akron OH. Beginning with college, I have lived in Chicago, Fort Wayne, Denver, Washington, DC and Hickory NC.
3. I love Elvis: Rocker Elvis, R and B Elvis, movie Elvis, Gospel Elvis, fat Elvis, dead Elvis, all of it is cool.
4. I do not own a I-pod. I want one.
5. I once drank beer with Dave Petersen.
I do not know alot of blog people who have not already been tagged but I will tag Lutheran Logomaniac
Five Random Alms facts
1. I love Survivor. Yes, it is garbage TV but it is, for some reason, endlessly fascinating to me. One thing I do not like however, is the obligatory worship of false idols segment. Every season, the show is located in some distant part of the world where idols and false religions were and/or are practiced and the contestants are made to particpate in the false religion at some point. They call it appreciating the culture. I call it the "say bye-bye to Jesus" episode. What the martyrs died rather than particpate in, the survivors get a million to do. Go figure. But, really, I like the show.
2. When growing up I lived in these metro areas: Hosuton, TX; SF, California; New Orleans, LA; Cincinnati, OH; Philadelphia, PA; and Akron OH. Beginning with college, I have lived in Chicago, Fort Wayne, Denver, Washington, DC and Hickory NC.
3. I love Elvis: Rocker Elvis, R and B Elvis, movie Elvis, Gospel Elvis, fat Elvis, dead Elvis, all of it is cool.
4. I do not own a I-pod. I want one.
5. I once drank beer with Dave Petersen.
I do not know alot of blog people who have not already been tagged but I will tag Lutheran Logomaniac
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Advent Web Quotables
Pitiful kid that Iwas, I can remember spending hours at my grandmother's hosue in Houston reading old Readers Digests that she collected. In particular, I craved the quotable quotes section. One never knew what one might find.
The Web is the same way ... a potpourri of interesting often useless and unverifiable tidbits. Here a few Advent web quotables whose accuracy I do not guarantee but which are helpful nonetheless.
Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…
It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.
Joseph Ratzinger Seek That Which Is Above,1986
A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1943
This is the kind of King Christ is: He desires to help poor wretched people in body and in soul. Apart from Him, the world with all its strength and methods is no help. This is good and happy news! For Our Lord's help is this: Christ pays for our sin, and through His suffering He redeems us from eternal death. It is His kingdom and His ministry to preach this Gospel to poor sinners. That is His goal. For to the great and holy He does not come, for they do not desire His Gospel.
Martin Luther
The Web is the same way ... a potpourri of interesting often useless and unverifiable tidbits. Here a few Advent web quotables whose accuracy I do not guarantee but which are helpful nonetheless.
Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…
It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.
Joseph Ratzinger Seek That Which Is Above,1986
A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1943
This is the kind of King Christ is: He desires to help poor wretched people in body and in soul. Apart from Him, the world with all its strength and methods is no help. This is good and happy news! For Our Lord's help is this: Christ pays for our sin, and through His suffering He redeems us from eternal death. It is His kingdom and His ministry to preach this Gospel to poor sinners. That is His goal. For to the great and holy He does not come, for they do not desire His Gospel.
Martin Luther
Saturday, December 10, 2005
There was no blood ...
That was my major complaint about the Narnia movie which I saw last night at the 10 oclock show (late for my aging bones but the 7 and 8 p.m. shows were sold out).
When Aslan was sacrificed, it was if the Witch was perfomring minor surgery. I know it was not the place for gore but some blood, some wound ought to have been visible, imo. This is deep magic after all not a superficial legality. A sacrifice is not a sacrifce without the shedding of blood.
That said, the movie was very good. The actors for the 4 children were excellent, especially Edmund and Lucy. The portrayal of virtue, vice and forgiveness came through very well. The Christian allegory was present and well presented.
When Aslan was sacrificed, it was if the Witch was perfomring minor surgery. I know it was not the place for gore but some blood, some wound ought to have been visible, imo. This is deep magic after all not a superficial legality. A sacrifice is not a sacrifce without the shedding of blood.
That said, the movie was very good. The actors for the 4 children were excellent, especially Edmund and Lucy. The portrayal of virtue, vice and forgiveness came through very well. The Christian allegory was present and well presented.
Friday, December 09, 2005
John Wayne is Spinning in His Grave
From Yahoo News: Gay Cowboy Romance
It has wowed film festivals, won rave reviews and sparked Oscar buzz, but when "Brokeback Mountain," a.k.a. the gay cowboy movie, begins playing to general audiences on Friday, it faces its toughest challenge yet -- wooing mainstream America.
Two of Hollywood's hottest leading men, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, risk alienating fans and sending their stars plummeting if, after watching the pair have sex on screen, audiences cannot see them any other way than gay.
OK, all I can say is
1. Yuck.
2. God have mercy on their souls.
3. Try the 20 year test. Can you imagine 20 years ago this even being remotely possible?
No.
Thus, the 20 year test always confirms that OUR CULTURE HAS GONE TO HELL.
Thank you.
It has wowed film festivals, won rave reviews and sparked Oscar buzz, but when "Brokeback Mountain," a.k.a. the gay cowboy movie, begins playing to general audiences on Friday, it faces its toughest challenge yet -- wooing mainstream America.
Two of Hollywood's hottest leading men, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, risk alienating fans and sending their stars plummeting if, after watching the pair have sex on screen, audiences cannot see them any other way than gay.
OK, all I can say is
1. Yuck.
2. God have mercy on their souls.
3. Try the 20 year test. Can you imagine 20 years ago this even being remotely possible?
No.
Thus, the 20 year test always confirms that OUR CULTURE HAS GONE TO HELL.
Thank you.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Now is the time for faith
Each of us would be wise therefore to not waste this present time. It is now that our Savior offers us his mercy; now, while he still spares the human race. Understand that it is in hope of our conversion that he spares us, for he desires no one's damnation. As for when the end of the world will be, that is God's concern. Now is the time for faith. Whether any of us here present will see the end of the world I know not; very likely none of us will.
Even so, the time is very near for each of us, for we are mortal. There are hazards all around us. We should be in less danger from them were we made of glass. What is more fragile than a vessel of glass? And yet it can be kept safe and last indefinitely. Of course, it is exposed to accidents, but it is not liable to old age and the suffering it brings. We therefore are the more frail and infirm. In our weakness we are haunted by fears of all the calamities that regularly befall the human race, and if no such calamity overtakes us, still, time marches on. We may evade the blows of fortune, but shall we evade death? We may escape perils from without but shall we escape what comes from within us? Now, suddenly, we may be attacked by any disease. And if we are spared? Even so, old age comes at last, and nothing will delay it.
Saint Augustine ( 354-430 A.D.), Sermon 109.
Even so, the time is very near for each of us, for we are mortal. There are hazards all around us. We should be in less danger from them were we made of glass. What is more fragile than a vessel of glass? And yet it can be kept safe and last indefinitely. Of course, it is exposed to accidents, but it is not liable to old age and the suffering it brings. We therefore are the more frail and infirm. In our weakness we are haunted by fears of all the calamities that regularly befall the human race, and if no such calamity overtakes us, still, time marches on. We may evade the blows of fortune, but shall we evade death? We may escape perils from without but shall we escape what comes from within us? Now, suddenly, we may be attacked by any disease. And if we are spared? Even so, old age comes at last, and nothing will delay it.
Saint Augustine ( 354-430 A.D.), Sermon 109.
Fare Thee Well, Christopher Robin
Disney has taken a fork and stuck it in Christopher Robin (of Winnie the Pooh fame). He is done.
He is being replaced by a girl. It is all about sales, of course. In the words of a marketing consultant ....
"Pooh appears to be a robust brand that can handle expansion."
I love that kind of talk.
Anyway, I imagine Christopher Robin's great mistake is in being white and male and straight. That is so yesterday.
Maybe in few years, Chrsitopher Robin can return and be re-admitted to the show by ... coming out of the closet! Remember you read it here first.
He is being replaced by a girl. It is all about sales, of course. In the words of a marketing consultant ....
"Pooh appears to be a robust brand that can handle expansion."
I love that kind of talk.
Anyway, I imagine Christopher Robin's great mistake is in being white and male and straight. That is so yesterday.
Maybe in few years, Chrsitopher Robin can return and be re-admitted to the show by ... coming out of the closet! Remember you read it here first.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Blessed violence
A little gem from a lesser known father, Maximus of Turin( d. c. 465). I ran across it in Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers. I then found it on the web.
On the Preparation for the Lord's Coming
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away (Matt 11:12).
We do violence, I say, against the Lord, not by compelling, but by weeping; not provoking Him by insults, but by pleading with tears of repentance;
not by blaspheming in pride, but by grieving in humility,
O Blessed violence! Which is not repelled with indignation, but forgiven in mercy. Blessed violence, I repeat, which stirs up goodness in the one
who suffers this violence, and brings reward to the one who inflicts it. An assault is made, and no one complains of injury; violence is suffered, and
respect for order is increased. He that used most violence against Christ is by Christ esteemed the most devoted.
Let us attack the Lord on the way, because He is the Way, and after the manner of robber let us despoil Him of His goods; let us take from Him
His kingdom, His treasures and his life. But He is so rich and so generous that He will not resist us, and when He has given us all that is His, He still
possesses all things. Let us assault Him, I say, not with sword or staff, but with mildness, with good works, with chastity.
These are the weapons of our Faith, by means of which we wage war. That we may use these weapons we must however do violence to ourselves. We must drive out vice from our own members, that we may attain to the rewards of virtue. For we must first rule in our own hearts, before we can seize the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, Brethren, let us who are about to greet the Birth of the Lord clean our consciences from all defilement; and let us prepare for ourselves, not silken garments, but precious works. Elegant garments may adorn the body, but they do not adorn the conscience; unless you consider it more decorous to go about elegant in dress and defiled in mind. That the clothing of the outward man may in all ways be becoming, let us first make worthy the dispositions of the interior man; that our bodily adornment may be the more perfect, let us wash away all spiritual stain.
On the Preparation for the Lord's Coming
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away (Matt 11:12).
We do violence, I say, against the Lord, not by compelling, but by weeping; not provoking Him by insults, but by pleading with tears of repentance;
not by blaspheming in pride, but by grieving in humility,
O Blessed violence! Which is not repelled with indignation, but forgiven in mercy. Blessed violence, I repeat, which stirs up goodness in the one
who suffers this violence, and brings reward to the one who inflicts it. An assault is made, and no one complains of injury; violence is suffered, and
respect for order is increased. He that used most violence against Christ is by Christ esteemed the most devoted.
Let us attack the Lord on the way, because He is the Way, and after the manner of robber let us despoil Him of His goods; let us take from Him
His kingdom, His treasures and his life. But He is so rich and so generous that He will not resist us, and when He has given us all that is His, He still
possesses all things. Let us assault Him, I say, not with sword or staff, but with mildness, with good works, with chastity.
These are the weapons of our Faith, by means of which we wage war. That we may use these weapons we must however do violence to ourselves. We must drive out vice from our own members, that we may attain to the rewards of virtue. For we must first rule in our own hearts, before we can seize the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, Brethren, let us who are about to greet the Birth of the Lord clean our consciences from all defilement; and let us prepare for ourselves, not silken garments, but precious works. Elegant garments may adorn the body, but they do not adorn the conscience; unless you consider it more decorous to go about elegant in dress and defiled in mind. That the clothing of the outward man may in all ways be becoming, let us first make worthy the dispositions of the interior man; that our bodily adornment may be the more perfect, let us wash away all spiritual stain.
The Big Fat Red Man
This is the season to attack or defend Santa. I am in the defender camp. I will try to post something on why soon. In the meantime i have noticed that attackers of Santa usually fall into these camps:
1. Santa is a bully ... and pushes Jesus out of the picture.
2. Santa is satanic leftover of the demonic Roman Catholic past ( St. Nicholas was a bishop, you know.)
3. Satan is a symbol of the consumerist overkill that has ruined Christmas.
The defense generally runs like this:
1. Santa is good clean fun.
2. Santa is a good leftover of a pre-rationalistic age which encourages imagination and fantsy in children.
3. Santa encourages generosity and good will and can serve as a step-maiden to a real Christian celebration of Christmas.
Here are some Santa nuggets pro and con and otherwise I ran across on the Web.
Burr has a good post on gettting rid of Santa. Almost convinced me but not quite!
Here is a decent defense of Mr. Claus.
During the Christmas season, our need for such things as belonging, forgiveness, and security can surface in dramatic ways. And none of our often frantic attempts to surround ourselves with sights and sounds and tastes of a consumerist culture can really speak to the longings that arise from the deep places in our souls.
At Landover Baptist Church (whose catchy slogan is "Where the worthwhile worship and the unsaved are not welcome" ... not making that up ... at least they are not church growthy!)
You can say "no" to the fat red demon, "no" to santa and "yes" to Jesus and seal your commitment with a framed photograph. It may be a joke I cannot tell, a bad sign.
Here you can learn of Santa's sinister past:
Santa Claus and Satan's Cause
The modern-day Santa Claus is an American version of Saint Nicholas, a fourth century Roman Catholic bishop from Asia Minor who was noted for his good deeds and gift giving. This tradition first spread throughout Europe, and then found its way to America by the early Dutch settlers.
Since God's word warns us to BEWARE of tradition (Col. 2:8), we shouldn't be surprised to find the Devil right in the middle of the world's most celebrated holiday. Lucifer's desire has always been to dethrone God and exalt himself (Isa. 14:12-15). He desires worship (Luke 4:7; II Ths. 2:3-4). Perhaps you've never thought of it, but please note how Satan robs the Lord Jesus Christ of His glory by spreading the Santa Claus tradition...
Petersen has a more accurate picture of St. Nick.
1. Santa is a bully ... and pushes Jesus out of the picture.
2. Santa is satanic leftover of the demonic Roman Catholic past ( St. Nicholas was a bishop, you know.)
3. Satan is a symbol of the consumerist overkill that has ruined Christmas.
The defense generally runs like this:
1. Santa is good clean fun.
2. Santa is a good leftover of a pre-rationalistic age which encourages imagination and fantsy in children.
3. Santa encourages generosity and good will and can serve as a step-maiden to a real Christian celebration of Christmas.
Here are some Santa nuggets pro and con and otherwise I ran across on the Web.
Burr has a good post on gettting rid of Santa. Almost convinced me but not quite!
Here is a decent defense of Mr. Claus.
During the Christmas season, our need for such things as belonging, forgiveness, and security can surface in dramatic ways. And none of our often frantic attempts to surround ourselves with sights and sounds and tastes of a consumerist culture can really speak to the longings that arise from the deep places in our souls.
At Landover Baptist Church (whose catchy slogan is "Where the worthwhile worship and the unsaved are not welcome" ... not making that up ... at least they are not church growthy!)
You can say "no" to the fat red demon, "no" to santa and "yes" to Jesus and seal your commitment with a framed photograph. It may be a joke I cannot tell, a bad sign.
Here you can learn of Santa's sinister past:
Santa Claus and Satan's Cause
The modern-day Santa Claus is an American version of Saint Nicholas, a fourth century Roman Catholic bishop from Asia Minor who was noted for his good deeds and gift giving. This tradition first spread throughout Europe, and then found its way to America by the early Dutch settlers.
Since God's word warns us to BEWARE of tradition (Col. 2:8), we shouldn't be surprised to find the Devil right in the middle of the world's most celebrated holiday. Lucifer's desire has always been to dethrone God and exalt himself (Isa. 14:12-15). He desires worship (Luke 4:7; II Ths. 2:3-4). Perhaps you've never thought of it, but please note how Satan robs the Lord Jesus Christ of His glory by spreading the Santa Claus tradition...
Petersen has a more accurate picture of St. Nick.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Advent with Irenaeus : Seeing God
From a treatise Against Heresies by Irenaeus, 130-200 A.D.
There is one God, who by his word and wisdom created all things and set them in order. His word is our Lord Jesus Christ, who in this last age became man among men to unite end and beginning, that is, man and God.
The prophets, receiving the gift of prophecy from this same Word, foretold his coming in the flesh, which brought about the union and communion between God and man ordained by the Father. From the beginning the word of God prophesied that God would be seen by men and would live among them on earth; he would speak with his own creation and be present to it, bringing it salvation and being visible to it.
He would free us from the hands of all who hate us, that is, from the universal spirit of sin, and enable us to serve him in holiness and justice all our days. Man was to receive the Spirit of God and so to attain to the glory of the Father.
The prophets, foretold that God would be seen by men. As the Lord himself says: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. In his greatness and inexpressible glory no one can see God and live, for the Father is beyond our comprehension. But in his love and generosity and omnipotence he allows even this to those who love him, that is, even to see God, as the prophets foretold. For what is impossible to men is possible to God.
By his own powers man cannot see God; yet God will be seen by men because he wills it. He will be seen by those he chooses, at the time he chooses, and in the way he chooses, for God can do all things. He was seen of old through the Spirit in prophecy; he is seen through the Son by our adoption as his children, and he will be seen in the kingdom of heaven in his own being as the Father. The Spirit prepares man to receive the Son of God, the Son leads him to the Father, and the Father, freeing him from change and decay, bestows the eternal life that comes to everyone from seeing God.
As those who see light are in the light sharing its brilliance, so those who see God are in God sharing his glory, and that glory gives them life. To see God is to share in life.
From this site
There is one God, who by his word and wisdom created all things and set them in order. His word is our Lord Jesus Christ, who in this last age became man among men to unite end and beginning, that is, man and God.
The prophets, receiving the gift of prophecy from this same Word, foretold his coming in the flesh, which brought about the union and communion between God and man ordained by the Father. From the beginning the word of God prophesied that God would be seen by men and would live among them on earth; he would speak with his own creation and be present to it, bringing it salvation and being visible to it.
He would free us from the hands of all who hate us, that is, from the universal spirit of sin, and enable us to serve him in holiness and justice all our days. Man was to receive the Spirit of God and so to attain to the glory of the Father.
The prophets, foretold that God would be seen by men. As the Lord himself says: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. In his greatness and inexpressible glory no one can see God and live, for the Father is beyond our comprehension. But in his love and generosity and omnipotence he allows even this to those who love him, that is, even to see God, as the prophets foretold. For what is impossible to men is possible to God.
By his own powers man cannot see God; yet God will be seen by men because he wills it. He will be seen by those he chooses, at the time he chooses, and in the way he chooses, for God can do all things. He was seen of old through the Spirit in prophecy; he is seen through the Son by our adoption as his children, and he will be seen in the kingdom of heaven in his own being as the Father. The Spirit prepares man to receive the Son of God, the Son leads him to the Father, and the Father, freeing him from change and decay, bestows the eternal life that comes to everyone from seeing God.
As those who see light are in the light sharing its brilliance, so those who see God are in God sharing his glory, and that glory gives them life. To see God is to share in life.
From this site
Advent : Longing, Desire and Romance
Advent is a season of repentance.
But it is good to remember that Advent differs greatly in tone and content from that other season of penitence: Lent. Lent is a season of baptismal preparation, of approach to the crucifixion and Resurrection and has its origins in the re-admission of penitents excluded from the church for gross public sins. Thus, Lent has, if you will, a "hard" penitential character.
Advent, on the other hand, has no roots in church discipline or the practice of penance but rather in preparation for Christmas and the celebration of the Incarnation. Early eschatological notes begin to creep in as well, thus the mixed Christmas and second coming emphasis that makes the current Advent what it is.
The character of Advent has been affected, I think, by its time of year (especially in Northern Europe): the bleak days of December. Most of all, Advent is a time of longing. The harvest is done, the planting has not yet occurred, all nature in the throes of death, the leaves fallen, the tress like scarecrows in the sky, the temperatures approaching tomblike coldness.
In Advent we have nothing to grasp at, nothing to see that brings hope and so we are left with yearning. The theme of "coming" , that we are waiting for someone to come, brings this feeling of emptiness and the desire to be filled to the fore. Look at the titles of hymns for Advent : they are titles of longing, desire, even romance: Bride of Christ, Rejoice, O Lord How Shall I Meet Thee, Jesus Thy church with Longing Eyes, The Bridegroom soon will call us .
Advent is a time of waiting which takes the character of romantic longing. The bride of Christ awaits her groom. The beloved longs for her husband. The empty wait to be filled. The cold and barren earth, from which we were taken, awaits the One who comes down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber.
The repentance of Advent takes this shape : that we recognize that our lives reflect the fact that we are lonesome. Our sins are sins of loneliness, existential loneliness and longing for the One who truly is our bridegroom. What we confess at Advent is that we desire for our bridegroom to come and fill us and take us to the wedding chamber to be with him always. Advent is the season of the empty and the cold who long for the warmth of the One who truly loves them and who is coming soon.
But it is good to remember that Advent differs greatly in tone and content from that other season of penitence: Lent. Lent is a season of baptismal preparation, of approach to the crucifixion and Resurrection and has its origins in the re-admission of penitents excluded from the church for gross public sins. Thus, Lent has, if you will, a "hard" penitential character.
Advent, on the other hand, has no roots in church discipline or the practice of penance but rather in preparation for Christmas and the celebration of the Incarnation. Early eschatological notes begin to creep in as well, thus the mixed Christmas and second coming emphasis that makes the current Advent what it is.
The character of Advent has been affected, I think, by its time of year (especially in Northern Europe): the bleak days of December. Most of all, Advent is a time of longing. The harvest is done, the planting has not yet occurred, all nature in the throes of death, the leaves fallen, the tress like scarecrows in the sky, the temperatures approaching tomblike coldness.
In Advent we have nothing to grasp at, nothing to see that brings hope and so we are left with yearning. The theme of "coming" , that we are waiting for someone to come, brings this feeling of emptiness and the desire to be filled to the fore. Look at the titles of hymns for Advent : they are titles of longing, desire, even romance: Bride of Christ, Rejoice, O Lord How Shall I Meet Thee, Jesus Thy church with Longing Eyes, The Bridegroom soon will call us .
Advent is a time of waiting which takes the character of romantic longing. The bride of Christ awaits her groom. The beloved longs for her husband. The empty wait to be filled. The cold and barren earth, from which we were taken, awaits the One who comes down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber.
The repentance of Advent takes this shape : that we recognize that our lives reflect the fact that we are lonesome. Our sins are sins of loneliness, existential loneliness and longing for the One who truly is our bridegroom. What we confess at Advent is that we desire for our bridegroom to come and fill us and take us to the wedding chamber to be with him always. Advent is the season of the empty and the cold who long for the warmth of the One who truly loves them and who is coming soon.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
The Story of Deacon Igor Kizyev
In the past I have posted about the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church, a truly remarkable band of faithful Russian Lutherans in Siberia. I have been privileged to work among them and urge everyone to visit these websites to learn more about them and to support the work there.
Siberian Ev. Lutheran Church
Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk
Siberian Lutheran Mission Society
Here is an article written by a deacon in that church. It is from the latest newsletter of the Siberian Lutheran Mission society and is available online. It is a remarkable story.
How it all started: From Special Forces to the Chancel Part One of Two
by Igor Kizyev
translated by Alexei Shilin
Editor’s note: This is part 1 of a two-part article. Part 2 will
appear in the next issue in May 2006.
I was born in a family of ordinary workers. My mother and father worked as builders. I was born on the 8 of October, 1966, in the city of Chita. In 1984 I graduated from school, and enrolled in a driver’s course as I was preparing to serve in the army. In 1985 I was drafted to serve in the training department of the Russian Special Forces. There I was assigned to a sergeant squadron. I wrote a petition asking to be transferred to Afghanistan, so after a half a year at the training department I was sent to the war. In Afghanistan I was wounded, shell-shocked and was awarded with the “For Valour” war medal along and with a personal letter of thanks from Mikhail Gorbachev. I returned home in 1987 and married a girl who had been waiting for me. We have been together almost 20 years. My wife's name is Yekaterina and she has given me two wonderful daughters, Victoria and Alexandra.
After serving in the army I received a job that I had trained for – I became a truck driver. Regretfully the war had a deep negative impact on me. I found it difficult to forget about it. My psychological state was awful. As a result I started to seek deliverance from my troubles in alcohol. The situation quickly became much worse. I drank more and more and it came to the point where my drinking almost caused me to lose my family. My drinking tempted my wife to leave me. She suffered through my drunken spells and continued to hope for me to recover. Finally her patience reached its end and she made up her mind to divorce me.
When she told me about it I was shocked and frightened, I was afraid that I would lose my family - my wife and children. It was at this time of deep family crisis my former teacher met me. She was a member of the Pentecostal church. She told me a lot about my sin, that I had to confess before God and that Christ would forgive all my sins and create a new being in me. In 1994 my wife and I came to the Pentecostal church. At that time I did not understand anything about God. I only needed to find a way to be freed from alcohol and to solve my family problems. My wife and I confessed our sins and “accepted Jesus Christ in our hearts” (as the Pentecostals taught us).
Gradually I stopped drinking. My family life improved. I got a new job and started earning good money. Everything was getting better. After two years in the Pentecostal church, I had a desire to preach the Gospel to unbelievers. This is how I became an “Evangelist” in the congregation. I became quite successful as an evangelist. I was traveling a lot to different towns and villages of our region, setting up mass evangelism meetings, and planting new congregations. Generally speaking, I was doing everything that helped people “accept Jesus into their hearts”. In 1997 I was invited to join the “Evangelism Explosion” program and I became a fervent follower of the program and used it very intensively in my evangelism work.
After two years of such activities I started to reflect on the meaning of repentance, how and for what reasons a man could say, “I want Christ to be my God.” If the Scriptures clearly teach that a man is dead in Adam according to his deeds and transgressions (Eph. 2) how could he recognize his need to be made alive? How can a man who is truly “dead” decide to “accept Jesus into his heart?” Nobody could give me an answer. From what I was hearing it followed that a man can make a decision himself and believe; that a man had some spiritual power which can move him to faith. I started to read a great deal of literature, exploring the matter of repentance. All the material I had available to read was Post Protestant and I could not find an answer to my question. In January, 1999 I was invited to Kiev to join the leaders of the “Evangelism Explosion” program. When I went to that seminar I was hoping to get the answer to my about repentance but it did not happen. Everything that I heard and saw just disappointed me more for I understood that this program was nothing else than a psychological influence on people's souls.
When I was on my way back home I happened to be in Moscow and there in one of the
Christian book stores I found a book of selected works of Martin Luther, published by The Lutheran Heritage Foundation. I read that book several times while riding the train back to Chita. I was impressed with the works of Luther, especially his letter “On the Freedom of a Christian”. I was “knocked out” by the thought and theology of biblical interpretation of Martin Luther. When I returned to my
home city I began to look for the Lutherans, but there was not a single Lutheran congregation in the city. Then I wrote an email to Lutheran Heritage Foundation asking for the telephone numbers and addresses of Lutheran churches in Siberia. In some time I received a reply with several addresses, including the telephone numbers of Rev. Vsevolod Lytkin, Rev. Alexei Streltsov and Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk.
I called Alexei Streltsov and received an invitation to visit a theological seminar in April of 1999, but I could not attend because my “pastor” prohibited me to go. He said that contemporary Lutherans betrayed the ideas of Luther and now they are completely without the Holy Spirit and have become a dead church. The words of the “pastor” frightened me, but did not dampen my interest to Luther's theology. That interest moved me to call Alexei Streltsov several times and he invited me again to a seminar, which was held in Novosibirsk three months later in July 1999.
My wife, Yekaterina, and I took a vacation and went to that seminar on our own, because our “pastor” was absolutely against the trip.
At the seminar I was finally able to receive an answer to my question about repentance. My ears were opened and I heard the saving Gospel – of Holy Baptism and Eucharist. I did not understand everything, but what professor David Scaer was saying in his lectures on the Gospel of Matthew literally overwhelmed me. I had read
that gospel many times, but I had never understood what St. Matthew was seeking to teach in his narration of the Last Supper of our Lord. The lectures of professor Scaer were a beginning for me toward a new understanding of the Gospel.
After hearing his lectures and talking with some pastors from The Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church, I had no doubt that the Lutheran Church faithfully and
truthfully preaches the Gospel as she leads people to repentance and Holy Baptism. Right away I decided to enter the seminary. The Rev. Alexei Streltsov, the rector at
Lutheran Theological Seminary, accepted me as a student. In September of 1999, I came to Novosibirsk, passed the entrance exam and became a seminary student.
Ed. Note: Rev. Igor Kizyev is featured in a new DVD video professionally
produced in Siberia by Mr. Boris Mamlin, a member of St. Andrew Lutheran
Church - Novosibirsk. This video is distributed upon request by the SLMS. To
receive a copy, contact Elizabeth M eyer at: emeyer@tslms.org or call
408/286-1771 (or contact the SLMS newsletter editor.)
Siberian Ev. Lutheran Church
Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk
Siberian Lutheran Mission Society
Here is an article written by a deacon in that church. It is from the latest newsletter of the Siberian Lutheran Mission society and is available online. It is a remarkable story.
How it all started: From Special Forces to the Chancel Part One of Two
by Igor Kizyev
translated by Alexei Shilin
Editor’s note: This is part 1 of a two-part article. Part 2 will
appear in the next issue in May 2006.
I was born in a family of ordinary workers. My mother and father worked as builders. I was born on the 8 of October, 1966, in the city of Chita. In 1984 I graduated from school, and enrolled in a driver’s course as I was preparing to serve in the army. In 1985 I was drafted to serve in the training department of the Russian Special Forces. There I was assigned to a sergeant squadron. I wrote a petition asking to be transferred to Afghanistan, so after a half a year at the training department I was sent to the war. In Afghanistan I was wounded, shell-shocked and was awarded with the “For Valour” war medal along and with a personal letter of thanks from Mikhail Gorbachev. I returned home in 1987 and married a girl who had been waiting for me. We have been together almost 20 years. My wife's name is Yekaterina and she has given me two wonderful daughters, Victoria and Alexandra.
After serving in the army I received a job that I had trained for – I became a truck driver. Regretfully the war had a deep negative impact on me. I found it difficult to forget about it. My psychological state was awful. As a result I started to seek deliverance from my troubles in alcohol. The situation quickly became much worse. I drank more and more and it came to the point where my drinking almost caused me to lose my family. My drinking tempted my wife to leave me. She suffered through my drunken spells and continued to hope for me to recover. Finally her patience reached its end and she made up her mind to divorce me.
When she told me about it I was shocked and frightened, I was afraid that I would lose my family - my wife and children. It was at this time of deep family crisis my former teacher met me. She was a member of the Pentecostal church. She told me a lot about my sin, that I had to confess before God and that Christ would forgive all my sins and create a new being in me. In 1994 my wife and I came to the Pentecostal church. At that time I did not understand anything about God. I only needed to find a way to be freed from alcohol and to solve my family problems. My wife and I confessed our sins and “accepted Jesus Christ in our hearts” (as the Pentecostals taught us).
Gradually I stopped drinking. My family life improved. I got a new job and started earning good money. Everything was getting better. After two years in the Pentecostal church, I had a desire to preach the Gospel to unbelievers. This is how I became an “Evangelist” in the congregation. I became quite successful as an evangelist. I was traveling a lot to different towns and villages of our region, setting up mass evangelism meetings, and planting new congregations. Generally speaking, I was doing everything that helped people “accept Jesus into their hearts”. In 1997 I was invited to join the “Evangelism Explosion” program and I became a fervent follower of the program and used it very intensively in my evangelism work.
After two years of such activities I started to reflect on the meaning of repentance, how and for what reasons a man could say, “I want Christ to be my God.” If the Scriptures clearly teach that a man is dead in Adam according to his deeds and transgressions (Eph. 2) how could he recognize his need to be made alive? How can a man who is truly “dead” decide to “accept Jesus into his heart?” Nobody could give me an answer. From what I was hearing it followed that a man can make a decision himself and believe; that a man had some spiritual power which can move him to faith. I started to read a great deal of literature, exploring the matter of repentance. All the material I had available to read was Post Protestant and I could not find an answer to my question. In January, 1999 I was invited to Kiev to join the leaders of the “Evangelism Explosion” program. When I went to that seminar I was hoping to get the answer to my about repentance but it did not happen. Everything that I heard and saw just disappointed me more for I understood that this program was nothing else than a psychological influence on people's souls.
When I was on my way back home I happened to be in Moscow and there in one of the
Christian book stores I found a book of selected works of Martin Luther, published by The Lutheran Heritage Foundation. I read that book several times while riding the train back to Chita. I was impressed with the works of Luther, especially his letter “On the Freedom of a Christian”. I was “knocked out” by the thought and theology of biblical interpretation of Martin Luther. When I returned to my
home city I began to look for the Lutherans, but there was not a single Lutheran congregation in the city. Then I wrote an email to Lutheran Heritage Foundation asking for the telephone numbers and addresses of Lutheran churches in Siberia. In some time I received a reply with several addresses, including the telephone numbers of Rev. Vsevolod Lytkin, Rev. Alexei Streltsov and Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk.
I called Alexei Streltsov and received an invitation to visit a theological seminar in April of 1999, but I could not attend because my “pastor” prohibited me to go. He said that contemporary Lutherans betrayed the ideas of Luther and now they are completely without the Holy Spirit and have become a dead church. The words of the “pastor” frightened me, but did not dampen my interest to Luther's theology. That interest moved me to call Alexei Streltsov several times and he invited me again to a seminar, which was held in Novosibirsk three months later in July 1999.
My wife, Yekaterina, and I took a vacation and went to that seminar on our own, because our “pastor” was absolutely against the trip.
At the seminar I was finally able to receive an answer to my question about repentance. My ears were opened and I heard the saving Gospel – of Holy Baptism and Eucharist. I did not understand everything, but what professor David Scaer was saying in his lectures on the Gospel of Matthew literally overwhelmed me. I had read
that gospel many times, but I had never understood what St. Matthew was seeking to teach in his narration of the Last Supper of our Lord. The lectures of professor Scaer were a beginning for me toward a new understanding of the Gospel.
After hearing his lectures and talking with some pastors from The Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church, I had no doubt that the Lutheran Church faithfully and
truthfully preaches the Gospel as she leads people to repentance and Holy Baptism. Right away I decided to enter the seminary. The Rev. Alexei Streltsov, the rector at
Lutheran Theological Seminary, accepted me as a student. In September of 1999, I came to Novosibirsk, passed the entrance exam and became a seminary student.
Ed. Note: Rev. Igor Kizyev is featured in a new DVD video professionally
produced in Siberia by Mr. Boris Mamlin, a member of St. Andrew Lutheran
Church - Novosibirsk. This video is distributed upon request by the SLMS. To
receive a copy, contact Elizabeth M eyer at: emeyer@tslms.org or call
408/286-1771 (or contact the SLMS newsletter editor.)
Friday, December 02, 2005
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Tutti, Frutti, Style, Substance
Bunnie presents a very nice argument that content cannot be divorced from form. I absolutely agree.
Let me illustrate the same point in a different way.
Here are the lyrics to the chorus of a great rock and roll song :
Awop-bop-a-loo-mop alop-bam-boom
Tutti Frutti, all over rootie,.....
Awop-bop-a-loo-mop alop bam boom
That is Little Richard. Tutti Frutti.
The words are, of course, nonsense. But the song is great and the song as sung and performed communicates an energy and wildness that is the essence of rock and roll (whether you love it or hate it).
The style, the form, of the song is the message. It is the content. There is no other discernible content in the record. But Little Richard's over the top performance says much about the fifties, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, youth culture and on and on. But is not in the "content", the words or even the notes of the music. The message, the real "content" or "substance" is the style, the meaning is the form.
Same with the church service. Words are of course central and vital. But how we do the liturgy confesses and speaks a truth about what we believe about ourselves and God and our connection to that God. The how of the liturgy is content it carries the weight of a message.
This is the fatal flaw of the contemporary praise band church music crowd: the naïve belief that we can alter the style of worship without affecting our beliefs. The style of worship is content, it is a confession of our faith. And if we change it radically we are changing our pattern of belief.
Let me illustrate the same point in a different way.
Here are the lyrics to the chorus of a great rock and roll song :
Awop-bop-a-loo-mop alop-bam-boom
Tutti Frutti, all over rootie,.....
Awop-bop-a-loo-mop alop bam boom
That is Little Richard. Tutti Frutti.
The words are, of course, nonsense. But the song is great and the song as sung and performed communicates an energy and wildness that is the essence of rock and roll (whether you love it or hate it).
The style, the form, of the song is the message. It is the content. There is no other discernible content in the record. But Little Richard's over the top performance says much about the fifties, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, youth culture and on and on. But is not in the "content", the words or even the notes of the music. The message, the real "content" or "substance" is the style, the meaning is the form.
Same with the church service. Words are of course central and vital. But how we do the liturgy confesses and speaks a truth about what we believe about ourselves and God and our connection to that God. The how of the liturgy is content it carries the weight of a message.
This is the fatal flaw of the contemporary praise band church music crowd: the naïve belief that we can alter the style of worship without affecting our beliefs. The style of worship is content, it is a confession of our faith. And if we change it radically we are changing our pattern of belief.
How I know I am really old
I am getting old. Like counting the rings on a tree, I know this by several measures: the number of birthdays I have experienced, now at 42. I know it even more by the number of birthdays my children have gone through, the oldest is 16.
I can measure my advancing seniority in other ways: my growing irritation at stupid football announcers, my befuddlement at new styles of dress among our young (flip flops in December!) and the occasional ache or pain. I mark all of these with interest and alarm as it signals the oncoming rush of the grave. My wife calls me morose; I call it being realistic (grin).
But the surest way I can count my age is to list the technologies that have been developed to deliver sound recordings in my lifetime. Let us measure my age :
1. LP'S When I began to be interested in music in my early teens, the dominant and almost sole technology was Long Playing Albums known as LP's. These large vinyl platters were cool, with nice artwork on the covers and were able to deliver 45 minutes to an hour of music while the pitiful 45 could only give you two songs. I still have hundreds of LP's. They are now silenced for I no longer own a turntable. Sigh.
2. 8-TRACK TAPE Around this time the 8 track tape was gaining in popularity but never really caught on. The square box was clumsy and having to switch between the four tracks to get all the songs was dumb. Its only advantage was its smaller size and you could play them in your car.
3. CASSETTE TAPE These were cool for alot of reasons. You could tape all your LPS and take them in the car. You could also tape your friends albums, exponentially increasing your music library. You could also mix and match songs on a tape, though this was a bit clumsy as one had to cue up the records or tapes and all the rest. But cassettes were small, flexible, and mobile.
4. CD Compact discs pushed all this analog nonsense into the stone age. The CD was digital, permanent and the sound was awesome. I remember hearing my first CD (an REM album I think) and I could hear the guitars and bass and drums so clearly. I was, as we used to say, blown away.
5. MP3 With digital music came the internet and... mp3's. I loved the Napster era. With free digital music (no different ethically than the cassette tape, sharing music with someone .. only the scale of sharing differed) you could download and sample tons of tunes.
6. CD BURNING Not only MP3s on the computer but you could make your own CD's to take with you. Wow.
7. IPODS ... came along, making (can you believe this?) CD's obsolete. Who needs bulky (I cannot believe I am writing this!) unwieldy CDs when you can put thousands of songs on one little IPOD. The IPOD means the single is fast becoming dominant once again. "Albums" as an art form are going away.
There you have it. I am sure I will get even older in the near future as something else comes along. I can’t wait.
I can measure my advancing seniority in other ways: my growing irritation at stupid football announcers, my befuddlement at new styles of dress among our young (flip flops in December!) and the occasional ache or pain. I mark all of these with interest and alarm as it signals the oncoming rush of the grave. My wife calls me morose; I call it being realistic (grin).
But the surest way I can count my age is to list the technologies that have been developed to deliver sound recordings in my lifetime. Let us measure my age :
1. LP'S When I began to be interested in music in my early teens, the dominant and almost sole technology was Long Playing Albums known as LP's. These large vinyl platters were cool, with nice artwork on the covers and were able to deliver 45 minutes to an hour of music while the pitiful 45 could only give you two songs. I still have hundreds of LP's. They are now silenced for I no longer own a turntable. Sigh.
2. 8-TRACK TAPE Around this time the 8 track tape was gaining in popularity but never really caught on. The square box was clumsy and having to switch between the four tracks to get all the songs was dumb. Its only advantage was its smaller size and you could play them in your car.
3. CASSETTE TAPE These were cool for alot of reasons. You could tape all your LPS and take them in the car. You could also tape your friends albums, exponentially increasing your music library. You could also mix and match songs on a tape, though this was a bit clumsy as one had to cue up the records or tapes and all the rest. But cassettes were small, flexible, and mobile.
4. CD Compact discs pushed all this analog nonsense into the stone age. The CD was digital, permanent and the sound was awesome. I remember hearing my first CD (an REM album I think) and I could hear the guitars and bass and drums so clearly. I was, as we used to say, blown away.
5. MP3 With digital music came the internet and... mp3's. I loved the Napster era. With free digital music (no different ethically than the cassette tape, sharing music with someone .. only the scale of sharing differed) you could download and sample tons of tunes.
6. CD BURNING Not only MP3s on the computer but you could make your own CD's to take with you. Wow.
7. IPODS ... came along, making (can you believe this?) CD's obsolete. Who needs bulky (I cannot believe I am writing this!) unwieldy CDs when you can put thousands of songs on one little IPOD. The IPOD means the single is fast becoming dominant once again. "Albums" as an art form are going away.
There you have it. I am sure I will get even older in the near future as something else comes along. I can’t wait.
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