Martin Luther On Prayer

"It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last at night," says Martin Luther in A Practical Way to Pray, a letter to encourage his barber toward greater Christian piety.

"First, when I feel that I have become cool and joyless in prayer because of other tasks or thoughts (for the flesh and the devil always impede and instruct prayer), I take my Book of Psalms, hurry to my room, or, if it be the day and hour for it, to the church where a congregation is assembled and, as time permits, I say quietly to myself and word-for-word the Ten Commandments, the Creed , and, if I have time, some words of Christ or of Paul, or some Psalms, just as a child might do."

 After Luther explains how he prays through the Lord's Prayer he challenges disciples to, "speak the Amen firmly. Never doubt that God in his mercy will surely hear you and say 'yes' to your prayers. Never think that you are kneeling or standing alone, rather think that the whole of Christendom, all devout Christians, are standing there beside you and you are standing among them in a common, united petition which God cannot disdain."

Luther then goes on the explain a good way to pray through the Ten Commandments:
He speaks of forming a garland of four strands. The first strand is instruction: what is the commandment teaching us and what does God desire? Second, he turns to thanksgiving; third, a confession of sin for disobeying the commandment; and fourth, a prayer of supplication, asking God to give him strength to follow the commandment in the future. Here is his discourse on the third commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain."

 First, I learn that I must keep God's name in honor, holiness, and beauty; not to swear, curse, not to be boastful or seek honor and repute for myself, but humbly to invoke his name, to pray, praise, and extol it , and to let it be my only honor and glory that he is my God and I am his lowly creature and unworthy servant. Second, I give thanks to him for these precious gifts, that he has revealed his name to me and bestowed upon me....Third, I confess and acknowledge that I have grievously and shamefully sinned against this commandment all my life...This I bitterly regret and ask grace and forgiveness. Fourth, I ask for help and strength henceforth to learn [to obey] this commandment and to be preserved from such evil ingratitude, abuse, and sin against his name and that I may be found grateful in revering and honoring his name."

Jean Danielou on the Sacraments

I have recently begun reading Jean Danielou's book The Bible and the Liturgy. In it, he examines the sacraments and the liturgical year through the lens of typology.  Here are a few words from his introduction on the symbolism of Baptism.

"We usually interpret the rite of Baptism by seeing in it a reference to water as cleansing and purifying. But now this does not seem actually to be the most important of the rite. Two references in the Bible set us on the track of other interpretations. On the one hand, the water of Baptism is the water that destroys, the water of judgement; or "the waters" in Jewish symbolism are actually a symbol of the power of death. But the water of Baptism is also the water that brings forth a new creature, and this sends us back to the Jewish symbol of the waters as not only destructive but also creative. And, finally, the Jewish baptism may also have referred to the crossing of the Red Sea."

Here are a few words on the symbolism of the Lord's Supper:

"The choice of bread and wine may well have contained a reference to the sacrifice of Melchisedech [Melchizedek]; and the framework of a meal a reference to the sacred meals of Judaism, figures of the messianic feast; the season of the Pasch, a reference to the paschal meal the symbol of the alliance between the People and God. We can thus see how the deeds of Christ are charged with biblical memories which tell us the true significance of these deeds."

Law, Gospel, and the Book of Numbers

The book of Numbers begins at Mount Sinai and tells the story of Israel moving into the Promised Land, but we quickly run into a problem. Israel refused to invade the Promised Land because they were afraid of the inhabitants. The descendants of Anak (Nephilim) were there as well as many other strong tribes (Num 13:28-29). However, in Numbers 14:11-12 God gives the true reason why Israel failed to invade the land: the people despised God. They had no faith and would not trust and believe His promises. This reason has interesting implications on the perceived dichotomy of Grace vs. Law. 

Many people try to understand the new covenant under Jesus as a ‘covenant of grace’ and the old covenant as a ‘covenant of law.’ This may suggest that God’s requirements for his people are vastly different in the old and new covenants. However, It is important to remember that God has always saved people by grace through faith, even in the old covenant: Abraham “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). 

What’s happening in Numbers 14, then? God is angry with his people because they do not have faith. Their lack of faith leads to their breaking of the law, and God’s law condemns those who don’t have faith. In contrast, Caleb and Joshua demonstrate the true faith God requires in his people. Upon their arrival from spying the land, they tell Moses, “If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land to give it to us...do not fear the people of the land...the LORD is with us, do not fear them” (Num 14:8-9).

When wrestling with questions of Grace vs. Law, we ought to move beyond the question of 'what must I do to be saved' and answer the question of 'what does the Lord require.' Often times, well-meaning, God-fearing Christians are really good at answering the former question and forget to wrestle with the latter.

Justin Martyr on Baptism

In reading through Justin Martyr's First Apology written to Emperor Titus, I came across his high view of Baptism. I find it interesting that a man who lived right after the Apostolic Fathers would have such a differing view of the efficacy of Baptism than us Moderns. I have been studying Baptism off and on for a few years and am curious to discover the changes that have occurred to the doctrine of Baptism in the history of the Church. How do those changes in doctrine play out in changing our culture? History can be a hard teacher. I have his words below for reflection:

"Those that are persuaded and believe that the things we say are true, and promise that they can live accordingly, are instructed to pray and beseech God with fasting for the remission of their past sins, while we pray and fast along with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are reborn by the same manner of rebirth by which we ourselves were reborn; for they are then washed in the water in the name of God the Father and Master of all, and of our savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. For Christ said, 'Unless you are born again you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.'"

Television and the Need to Grow Up

We live in a culture that doesn't know how to grow up. It's all around us; we're swimming it. It's especially obvious in our television shows. A friend of mine recently wrote a blog addressing this specific problem. She calls it the Peter Pan Syndrome. I was thinking about this and reflecting on a few of the shows on TV that I really like. Though great television, most of these shows support this view. Here's a list of a few men that suffer from the Peter Pan Syndrome.

Michael Scott, The Office

What can I say about The Office? It kept a smile on my face for nine years...that's what she said. I can always watch an episode and be happy. However, where Jim and Pam characterize a healthy marriage that's worth fighting for, Michael Scott characterizes the boy who refuses to grow up. Or rather, the boy who doesn't know how to grow up. Or maybe even still, the boy who doesn't know that he needs to grow up. Of course, in the end he is redeemed through his relationship with Holly (and the people rejoice...), but for most of his screen time, he is the consummate child.

Shawn Spencer, Psych

I love Psych; it's one of my favorite shows. I Can't get enough of all the '80's references. However, Shawn certainly suffers from the Peter Pan Syndrome. Shawn is afraid to grow up and marry his girlfriend. Instead, Shawn would rather spend his days playing silly games with his best friend, Gus. Pop goes the culture.

The Bachelor

Do I really need to comment on this show? Hey I have an idea, let's have a show where we broadcast a man engaging in multiple realationships and affairs at the same time, and we'll pretend like it's dating and it's moving toward marriage. This show really is a great reflection of our culture. Next

Doctor Who

Three cheers for the good doctor. As great as he is at saving the world, his relationships are bit too wibbly wobbly timey wimey. This is a man who has been around through eleven incarnations, travels with multiple companions, nearly falls in love with every one, and still refuses to marry. For awhile, he was even traveling with a bisexual Captain. Eventually though, he does get married to a fellow time traveler, so it all works out in the end, right?  I wish  could say that. He has left plenty of broken hearts in his wake.

I'm not trying to ruin TV for you, but if I did that's fine too. It is important to take a step back from time to time to see the state of things. Remember, TV, movies, and music is not created in a vacuum. They will always reflect the culture from which it comes. Does our culture need an overhaul? Absolutely.

The Christian "Right?"

The common political discourse today in America demands the rights of every citizen. The lines begin to blur when we start elevating other's rights above some. Should law abiding citizens be allowed to carry guns? Should criminals? Let it be said now that I am thinking out loud in this blog and am open to correction.

What are our rights, then? Some might look to the Bill of Rights, and that is a good and proper thing for an American to do. We should know our heritage. It is important to remember, though, that America was not founded on strict Christian principles. Yes, there were many Christians who led the War for Independence against Britain, and there were many good Christians who signed the Declaration of Independence and even drafted the Bill of Rights. But, just because Christian men were involved in creating these documents, it does not follow that these documents are uniquely Christian. Many of our founding fathers were Deists - they believed in an immutable Creator, but unlike the Trinitarian Christian God Jehovah, this creator does not take much of an interest in our personal lives. The Deist god is the great Unmoved Mover that Aristotle taught.

Before my Christian friends get mad at me I'm going to explain myself. America is a wonderful nation and I'm thankful to have been born and raised here. But, the founding of America is the result of Christians and Deists working together. This is why there are many great Christian principles found in our founding documents, and also why there is a lot of Enlightenment influence as well.

So, back to my main point - what are our rights? As Christians, we should always consult what the Bible has to say about our rights. Strangely enough, from my studies in the the Good Book, we see that God does not give people rights the way we have defined rights in America. The Bible does not speak in this language. Our things, money, and time all belong to God. We do not have rights; instead, we have responsibilities to God and to each other.

How does this play out? Do I have a biblical right to own, keep, and bear arms?  I do not think so. Instead, I have a God given responsibility to defend my family. Therefore, in order to fulfill this responsibility, I should own a weapon. Here's a hot topic right now - marriage equality. I do not have the right to marry whomever I am in love with. No, but to the woman God has called for me, He has given me a responsibility to marry, love, and defend her. God has called us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to the responsibility to love our neighbor as ourself. If Christians started thinking in these categories, imagine what would happen.

5 Things I Learned as a First Year Teacher

Th following list is a few of my thoughts and insights I had over this past school year. In no particular order:

1. High School girls are stuck in a perpetual state of Disney Princess Fantasy (DPF). I’m not talking about the good theme of “kill the dragon, save the princess.” That’s the Christian theme; it’s what Jesus does for His church. I’m talking about the love for everything Disney. If you suffer from Disney Princess Fantasy your symptoms may include singing Disney songs, creating lists of which Disney princesses would fare better in a given situation, singing Disney songs, drawing your favorite princess, singing more Disney songs, and dressing up like your favorite Disney princess. This is a phenomena I have noticed in the majority of the female population. I’m not saying that DPF is a bad thing, it’s just strange.

2. When Second grade girls put on a ring pop, they begin fantasizing about marriage. When Second grade boys put on a ring pop, it just becomes a weapon to punch the other boys. Are you seeing a theme about girls developing? From a young age they want to be that princess I mentioned above. Boys don’t care much for royalty though, they just want to wrestle. Which leads me to my next point.

3. Playing catch with a group of first graders is a great study in original sin. Girls fall into this category too, but mostly boys. Everything is a competition to a boy. Throw sin into the mix and you can end up with some bloody noses and hurt feelings in no time.

4. I’m selfish. Moving on...

5. Children have a way of capturing your heart. My favorite grades to teach are first and second grades. I realized this past week that with the school year coming to a close I may never see some of those children ever again. I'm really going to miss those kids.

Well there it is - five things I learned while teaching my first year. They paid me to teach. I received so much more.