"The Lord Our Righteousness" and other holy mysteries

Today is a special Sunday because it is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the Church year. Next Sunday begins Advent Season where we will not only look forward to the coming of Christ but also to his coming again. The first Advent prepares us for the second Advent. To look forward to the coming of Jesus is to look forward to the promises of Jesus. The Old Testament lesson for today teaches us that Jesus came in his Advent to communicate His righteousness to us.

A Tale of Two Sinners

Today is the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. If your church follows the historic lectionary, the gospel reading this morning comes from Luke 18:9ff.  Much wisdom may be harvested from this simple parable from Jesus, if we only have ears to hear. In order to properly understand the weight of Jesus' words, the political situation in Israel must be explained.

Martin Bucer on the Lord's Supper

Martin Bucer is often times referred to as the Forgotten Reformer; yet, he had a great influence on the Protestant Reformation. He took the young John Calvin under his wing and mentored him  when Calvin was in Strasbourg. Bucer even introduced Calvin to his wife! Bucer also had a hand in shaping the second edition of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer under the direction of Thomas Cranmer. The following excerpt on the Lord's Supper is taken from Bucer's Strasbourg liturgy of 1539. He begins with a brief instruction on the holy supper:

Reflection on Ascension

Last Thursday was Ascension Day —  the fortieth day after Easter when Jesus ascended into heaven. Next Sunday the Church will celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. As I reflect on the themes and scripture readings assigned for this week from the one year lectionary, I'm astounded at the beauty of it.

Not Angles But Angels: The Mission of Augustine of Canterbury, the Apostle to the English

Augustine of Canterbury is a man who has, unfortunately, been lost to the majority of  historians. In, fact, if he pops up in a history book, it is often as a mere footnote. Yet, it was through this man that God brought Christian renewal to Southern England. Let me introduce you...

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."