Inklings From An Intern

Lent

2005-02-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a pamphlet I put together for the worship committee at my church:

Prosperity Presbyterian Church
We have determined that worship is one of our core values and a central task of our Church. As such, we desire to promote various aspects and activities of worship to the congregation. Ordinarily our emphasis falls upon God’s provision to us in the Word and the sacraments as well as our response back to him in prayer, song, confession, and offering.

Also, we occasionally set aside special days in accord with historic Presbyterianism. As a Church we are beginning to more fully recognize the liturgical seasons of the Christian calender. It’s our desire that by organizing our church year around Scriptural themes the congregation will be helped in redeeming the time, focusing their prayers, and finding both tangible and symbolic outlets to express our faith.

Lent
Every year around this time Christians from around the globe prepare to celebrate the redemption Christ brought about through his death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ at Easter. Lent is a forty-day liturgical season that is designed to assist us in that journey. It initiates perhaps the most sacred part of the Christian year. The season is characterized by various disciplines which serve to help us remember and reflect upon the sacrifice of Christ. A simple, yet wry, truth behind this is that the self-denial helps us anticipate, and delayed gratification helps us appreciate.

We pray that our congregation may use this time to reevaluate fundamental values, better appreciate the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel message, and be better prepared to walk in newness of life as the baptized people of God. In 2005, the season begins on February 9th (Ash Wednesday) and concludes on March 26th (Holy Saturday -the Saturday night before Easter).The six Sundays during Lent are never included in the forty-day count because every Sunday is to be a joyful celebration of our Lord's resurrection.

An invitation to the Journey

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. . . (Heb 12:1-2)

We invite you to view Lent as a journey. It is a journey we make in order to attune our body and soul toward the wonder of the Easter announcement: Christ is risen! During this time our eyes are firmly planted on the example of Jesus in the wilderness. He spent that time praying and fasting in order to prepare for his public ministry. He spent forty days to confront the temptations that aspired to have him abandon his mission and calling. Likewise, as an imitation of Christ (imitatio Christi), we commit this season as our time in the wilderness.

Our Presbyterian Heritage

Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it (Deut 12:32)

The most noted fundamental aspect of Presbyterian worship is known as the "Regulative Principle of Worship." The essence of it is relatively simple: worship must be regulated by the bible. All our worship must be done in ways that are pleasing to God, and we know what is pleasing to him from studying his revelation in Scripture. This will inevitably involve a certain level of creativity and imagination on the part of the interpreter of the bible, nevertheless, it is the bible- not the fancies of our imagination- that we search. Therefore, our recognition of the Disciplines of Lent is ultimately based upon the premise that these are biblical ways of living out the teachings of Scripture.

Repentance, prayer, fasting and love are essential elements to Christian life in the church. The recognition of Lent merely provides the circumstances to live them out. For Presbyterians the formal recognition of this season has typically been considered adiaphora (that which is neither commanded or forbidden but subject to the liberty of conscience). As such, it is to be viewed as an opportunity not an obligation.

The Disciplines of Lent
Lent is characterized by a few simple practices which are approached as a way to partake in a routine and disciplined life. We call these practices the Disciplines of Lent. The traditional disciplines include:

Repentance and the confession of sin
prayer and Scripture reading
Fasting and deprivation
Works of love and charitable giving
Repentance and the confession of sin

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

Repentance is a gift from God involving our turning away from sin toward him. In it, we are not only allowed to see how sin is contrary to God’s nature and law, but moreover, he promises mercy in Christ. Inevitably it involves an apprehension of the danger and filthiness of sin and a determined aversion to it with a resolve to walk anew in paths of righteousness and holiness.

Repentance will often find expression in the confession of sins. This can be done either publically or privately. Here are some ways in which you might want to formally incorporate the discipline of repentance in your Lenten activities:

pray the general confession of sins by the congregation within the context of our Sunday morning liturgy.
examine your life in light of the Ten Commandments and the catechism’s interpretation of them asking God to forgive you and to lead you into ways of loving him and your neighbor more deeply.
make confession of your sins to a faithful friend or brother in Christ especially if he was affected negatively by something you did or if tension exists between the two of you.
take advantage of private confession of sins to a Minister of the Gospel
think back on your baptism and read the confession and catechism questions on baptism and the sacraments so as to soberly and gratefully reflect upon various realities concerning baptism's nature and the privileges conferred in it.

Making time for prayer and Scripture reading

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:3)

Prayer may be described as a part of worship in which we are drawn to God in communication. It is required by God for all people to pray as a special part of religious worship. In order for it to be acceptable, it must be made in the name of the Son, by the help of his Spirit, and according to his will. It should always be done thoughtfully with reverence, humility, and a fervency of faith, love, and hope.

Many have found it helpful to have a consistent time for it and to create a quiet place for prayer, although prayer can happen anytime and anywhere. A cross and a lighted candle may help create a sense of the "sacred" for your place for prayer. Here are some ways in which you might want to formally incorporate the discipline of prayer in your Lenten activities

follow the ancient Christian custom of morning and evening prayer or at specified interval during the day.
sign yourself with the cross saying, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," followed by a brief moment of silence in recognition that your life is lived under the shadow of the cross in the presence of the triune God.
use the book of Psalms, the Ten Commandments, the Creeds or various printed prayers such as the ones in, The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions.
to pray the Lord’s prayer each day or parts of it while reading the catechism’s interpretation of it.

Fasting or abstaining from a simple pleasure.
For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told you about them, and now I have tears as I say it. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with their mind set upon earthly things. (Philippians 3:18-19)

Jesus told us that when we fast we are not to make a show of it, like hypocrites do. Hence, a fast is different from a hunger strike: a fast is a personal act of devotion to God, while a hunger strike is usually a public act most often used to shine a spotlight on injustice. Neither is a fast to be some form of eating disorder. It is a disciplined diet, not a revulsion of food or our body.

Fasting is not typically a complete giving up of food all together. Frequently it is merely the giving up or limiting of a particular item or type of food (sweets, desserts, chocolate, butter, fat, eggs, etc.). Water, however, is never to be given up in a fast.

[Children under 16, people over 65, those who are ill or on medication, and pregnant women are not expected to fast. Anyone with any health questions should definitely contact their health care provider for further instruction.]

Here are some ways in which you might want to formally incorporate the discipline of fasting in your Lenten activities:

Don't try to be Super-saint with the fasting. If you wish to fast, start slow and do it on just Ash Wednesday and Good Friday or may be one day a week.
Be selective as to what days you fast, the early church fasted on Wednesdays (to commemorate His betrayal) and Fridays (to commemorate His crucifixion).
Fast from only a single meal rather than through the whole day or have only one simple meal during the day, possibly without meat.
Refrain from eating meat on Fridays in Lent, substituting fish for example.
Eliminate a food item or type of food for the entire season. Especially consider eliminating sweets or fatty foods.
Abstain from or limit a favorite activity (television, movies, etc.) for the entire season.
Take the time that you would ordinarily be eating and spend it in prayer to God.

Giving charitably and doing deeds of love.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. . . Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13:4,7).

The intention of this part of the Lenten Discipline is to connect our faith in God's love for us with actions that express love toward others in both the world and Church. This world is set on embracing parodies of love which are distorted and disfigured manifestations of what authentic humanity is meant to experience. When we as a church gather together as a peaceful and loving family in spite of our differences and difficulties and warmly embrace each member as an equal member, then a powerful message is sent. It is a message of defeat to the hidden forces of prejudice, self-interest, and suspicion at work in the world.

Here are some ways in which you might want to formally incorporate the discipline of deeds love in your Lenten activities:

Use Matthew 25:31-40 and Luke 4:18-19 as guides for choosing to do a work of love.
Go out of your way to do something nice for somebody at least once a week during Lent.
Make a donation for the needy or some sort of special offering for church.
Volunteer a portion of your time with a local service organization that serves the poor.
Ask how you may be able to visit a shut-in members of the church.
Tell others in your sphere of influence that you love them.

Beginning Your Discipline
On this journey you will need the Pax vobiscum, that is, God’s peace and presence to be with and for you. Ultimately, it is only by God the Father, in the accomplishments of the Son, applied to us by the Spirit, that we are truly provided with sustenance. So begin with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit for guidance in choosing those things that would best fit you for your Lenten Discipline. Prayerfully dedicate all your choices to God as a commitment for the six weeks of Lent, and ask that your Lenten Discipline move you closer to God for the sake of the sufferings and death of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you formally incorporate the Lenten disciplines:

After making your choices and beginning your discipline, it is not necessary to share your choices with anyone else. In fact, anonymity is regarded as better (Matt.6:1-7, 16-18).
Consider keeping a journal for Lent where you record what you will do concerning each of the disciplines and track your experience.
Don't be too hard on yourself, too rigorous, or too legalistic. The idea is to have a discipline that moves you spiritually closer to God, not one that focuses you solely on your discipline.
Breaking commitments to God is not something to take lightly but people will break the disciplines. This is also a time when we remember the mercy of God and so in prayerful song you can simply embrace the opening words of Psalm 6:2 " O Lord, have mercy on me," praying the Kyrie Eleison and start over.

2005-01-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a version of an article that went out to our Church's monthly news letter.

Standing before an ATM at the gas station I read the instructions asking if I wished to conduct my business in English or in Spanish. In an instantaneous flash my mind went on a journey of free associated thoughts involving multiculturalism, youth ministry, and ancient conceptions of the Trinity. I have tried to sort these out in some sensible manner below.

The first has to do with that ATM machine. It seems that just about anywhere we go, within our nation’s urban centers, that we are becoming increasingly aware our society is a culture of cultures in other words multi-cultural. The powers that be are, it seems, often prone to divide humanity into various segments and niche markets according to such things as gender, ethnicity, employment, economic status and so on. This of course is nothing new as the Apostle Paul also experienced it and saw within it a corruption that defaces God’s creation which will ultimately be overturned by God the Father uniting all things in Christ the Son through the Spirit (see Ephesians 1:4-14 especially v.10).

"How about Church?" I curiously mulled over. Do we simply act as a religious service industry; the equivalent to a spiritual Wal-Mart in which people are conceived of as religious consumers? A worldly lure for success can easily enough find its way into a strategic ministry plan which does not merely recognize our differences but reinforce our separateness. The corollary to worldly niche marketing techniques can be seen when we tell "the teens" to do their thing over there while telling "the college and career" to do their thing somewhere else and the "young families" have their programs while the "Senior Citizens" have their own activities. Can it be anything other than sheer irony when local congregations profess on a weekly basis to be "one" but have an everyday reality fragmented into various interest groups?

In a mental twist my mind seized upon the ancient Greek conception of the Trinity known as Perichoresis. It is a big word with an odd meaning. The prefix Peri means "around" and the stem Perichorea means "to dance". The Greek Fathers of the Church used this term to describe the mystery of the divine life within the Trinity. It emphasizes that each divine person harbors the others at the center of his being. An English language alternative term is indwelling. The image, however, is not intended to be static or still but like dancers in a performance there is a constant movement of overture and acceptance, each person envelops and encircles the others. The very life and activity of God is a triplicate interchange of self-giving; one life indwelling the life of another as one invited and welcomed in loving hospitality.

My primary duty as the Student Intern is to disciple the Church Youth and their families by modeling the Savior and teaching the Scriptures. So what does it mean to model the Savior? What it can’t mean is developing an interest group with its own life separated and distinct from the life of the whole church. Since humanity is created after the image of the Triune God, it is not good that we act in isolation. When we truly bear the image of the triune God we must do so within a loving and self-giving community because God exists as such a community. To do otherwise is to efface the image of God and negate our calling to manifest our Triune God to the world. Hence we have purposed to "modeling the Savior" with a focus upon His Trinitarian life by deepening perichoretic relationships between the youth and the rest of the church.

Future of the People of God talks | open source theology

2004-12-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

Future of the People of God talks open source theology: For all those Tom Wright fans here are some talks given by him at the Future of the People of God conference and are now available for download.

Genevan Book of Order

2004-12-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

For those interested in the history of liturgy and what not I got this link at CRTA (Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics http://www.reformed.org/books/ in it is included the
Genevan Book of Order: "The Genevan Book of Order The Form of Prayers and Ministration of the Sacraments, etc. Used in the English Congregation at Geneva (1556) "

Times Online - World

2004-12-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

For those of you have taken an interest in the James ossuary the following story from the The Times might be interesting.

From Ian MacKinnon in Jerusalem

AN ISRAELI collector of antiquities who stunned the world with a find that he said was the burial container of Jesus’ “brother”, James, is to be charged with forgery.

Justice Ministry officials said last night that Oded Golan would be indicted next week on a range of charges that would include forgery over an inscription on the stone container that carried the script in Aramaic reading: “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”.

Six others are also to be charged. Times Online - World:

A Presbyterian Appropriation of Advent

2004-12-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a version of a paper I wrote over a question about Advent observance at Church.

What is a Christian committed to the Reformation Tradition to make of Advent? In brief, it offers to Reformed Christians the same things it does for all, an opportunity to redeem the time, to prepare for the coming of Christmas, to give praise and thanksgiving for Christ's incarnation, to meditate on its significance by thematically ordering our Scripture readings, focusing our prayers, and having symbolic reminders of it. What more could anyone want? However, it may do us well to see Reformed worship through the eyes of the covenant in order to appreciate the celebration of Advent within it.

Lex Orandi-Lex Credendi

Common to the convictions of most writers on Reformed worship is this premise: the design of our Lord’s Day service should be appropriately shaped according to our theological convictions. I suspect, few would deny that the actual outworking of this conviction has been executed with mixed success. Someone surfing the web sites of various Reformed congregations within the United States will everything from hell-fire & brimstone revival services, to casual yet visually dazzling multi-media services, to a high church Eucharistic services.

Incongruous, as it may seem, the same Reformed Christians who are staunchly united on the theological details Presbyterian doctrine will often become quite divided and confused as to how they should conceive of worship. Furthermore, many congregations have little appreciation of a tradition that reaches beyond the walls of their own buildings and they usually don't go farther back than the way grandmother used to do things. The required liturgies that were characteristic of Reformed services before the Westminster Assembly are no longer well known do not much affect the way we currently construe our services.

The Westminster Asembly was significant in opening up possibilities as to how we structure our Lord's day services. Unlike some traditions we are not bound to follow a specific order of service such as John Calvin or others http://public.csusm.edu/public/guests/rsclark/Liturgies.html . Our denomination has understood that Jesus Christ as Lord of his church has prescribed no fixed forms for public worship but has given the church a large degree of liberty in this matter.

Book of Church Order 47-6. The Lord Jesus Christ has prescribed no fixed forms for public worship but, in the interest of life and power in worship, has given His Church a large measure of liberty in this matter. It may not be forgotten, however, that there is true liberty only where the rules of God’s Word are observed and the Spirit of the Lord is, that all things must be done decently and in order, and that God’s people should serve Him with reverence and in the beauty of holiness. From its beginning to its end a service of public worship should be characterized by that simplicity which is an evidence of sincerity and by that beauty and dignity which are a manifestation of holiness.

The net result is that the worship service within various congregations are considerably diverse. An unfortunately effect is that it would be difficult for a contemporary observer to ascertain the priorities of Reformed theology from its expressions in many Reformed churches. More unnerving and detrimental is the potential that our Reformed theological premises are not at work in the liturgical actions of these services. An underlying assumption throughout much of the Church through history has been that the doctrinal presuppositions of a given Christian community will exercise influence upon their practice of worship. This is sometimes communicated through the Latin phrase lex orondi- lex credendi (the rule of prayer i.e, liturgy is the norm or reflection of the rule of our confessed belief). As this works itself out in Protestantism is clearly a two-way street. Our confession should regulate our worship is prominent in Presbyterian however, it cannot be denied that how we worship will inevitably affect how Christians view its beliefs. The uptake from this is that Reformed theological underpinnings are not always easily recognizable from our Lord's Day services. A legitimate question then arises as to what is being communicated by our worship. Liturgy will influence belief even if the precise way in which that will proceed is not obvious or clear.

This principle can be seen clearly enough in the practice of the Lord's Supper. Why do so many Reformed congregations not celebrate the Table on a weekly basis? Consistently the same few response are always given which inevitably boil down to beliefs about it that do not reflect and in some ways contravene our explicit doctrinal standards. When the church has firmly embraced our doctrinal commitments and Calvinistic tradition http://www.the-highway.com/supper1_Calvin.html that the Lord's Table was a means of confering the saving benefits of Christ we celebrated it weekly. Few congregants within our tradition any longer embrace such a rich mean-of-grace theology. Are we really to believe that our shift in liturgical practice to monthly or quarterly celebration has not been a factor in the abandonment of our confession?

Covenant as Organizing Structure

So what is it that gives Reformed theology its particular shape and structure? The answer according to our Confession is the covenant. It is the most basic and fundamental designation of how God relates to humanity. The heart of our relationship with God is forged in His covenant relationship with humanity. In fact, covenant is the only lense through which our confessional standards have theologically viewed God’s interaction with man. It then only makes sense that Reformed worship should be shaped by the covenant just as its theological premises have been.

That God deals with humanity within covenant is a profoundly biblical concept. The term itself occurs over three hundred times in the Scriptures in order to describe our relationship to God as his people. Unfortunately, there is no simple consensus definition for or single passage of scripture that will lay out an overall explanation. Sometimes the covenant is viewed in terms of either of the agreement that a king would make with a subject people, or sometimes of the marriage bond between husband and wife. Nevertheless, we have numerous stories of how God has entered into covenant relations and these stories present a basic template of how covenant functions.

The structure of how covenant functions has been the subject of much rigorous research. The basic structure that can be discerned in all biblical covenants is that there are two parties and two parts: (1)God who initiates the covenant with his people and through it gives blessing and (2) People who must make appropriate preparations to profitably receive its benefits. We could expand our description of the covenant to include five dimensions:

The Lord initiates an association with the beneficiaries. This is not an arrangement amongst equals, God is the one who grants the covenant and is the absolute sovereign one in it.
The Lord separates the beneficiaries from what they once were. He transforms them from that which was old into something new and gives them a new name.
The Lord demands loyalty from the beneficiaries. He provides ethical stipulations for the beneficiaries as they must be righteous to enjoy the blessings of the covenant.
The Lord provides ritual signs and seals for the beneficiaries. The covenant relationship is always memorialized in symbolic form which typically provides the context for dispensing blessings for loyalty and curses for ungrateful disobedience.
The Lord arranges for the future succession of beneficiaries. God intends for the covenant to continue from generation to generation in godly families to pass the blessing on to the future

Our Lord’s Day service should be appropriately shaped to reflect these theological conviction. We will do well then to ground a few basic conceptions of worship within the framework of covenant in order to better appreciate the potential role of Advent for a Presbyterian congregation.

It is the Lord who gathers us.

In our Reformed tradition it is always the Lord who makes covenant with humanity. As Presbyterians when we have spoken of covenant we historically emphasized the great gulf that exists between the Creator and the creature. It is important then that we recognize that we are not God’s equals in the covenant arrangement. The Confession declares that it is on account of the great distance between God and us that we would never be able to experience any blessed enjoyment of him unless he voluntarily choose to lower himself to privilege us with his grace.

Our corporate worship along with the organizational structure God has place upon the church is for the very purpose that we are gathered before God in order that we may be perfected as saints and edified as the church. In our worship, we recognize that God comes nears and calls his people out of the world to gather us into his presence. It is in recognition of this that we explicitly remind ourselves at the start the worship service with the words, "We gather together in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This is at the very heart of our identity as the church. Our confession and Book of Church Order are explicit on this issue
. Corporate worship is not merely a gathering of God’s children with each other, but before all else, it is a meeting of the triune God with His chosen people. Our confession also understands that God’s presence in the worship service not merely by virtue of divine omnipresence but is instead present in a much more intimate way; that is, by way of his covenant relationship with us.

The Lord initiates and gives when we gather

In our Reformed tradition the Lord always takes the initiative; he gives we receive. Some pseudo-Reformed perspectives, however, have gotten this basic premise completely backwards. They would wrongly insist that worship is about our giving, not about our receiving. This erroneous perspective usurps God’s role as beneficent and places him in the role of beneficiary. Too often the false picture has been presented that we were once seekers of God’s grace, who- having gotten saved- are now givers of praise. To entertain such a possibility is to assume that once God has worked redemption in us, we can respond to him without having to rely on his continual saving work. That, of course, is exactly what Reformed theology denies.

You probably have heard some well meaning person say that in Reformed worship we come to give praise to God taking no interest in what we might get from him. Ironically, this is a quasi-Arminian perspective and is at best without biblical warrant. We are created and dependent beings who must continually receive both our life and redemption from God. For us, as creatures of God, there can be no such thing as "disinterested praise." To deny this premise is to blur the Creator-creature distinction and is the height of arrogance. We simply cannot love or praise God for who he is apart from what he has given us or what we continue to receive from him. We are not his equals. We must not fool ourselves into thinking that we are not dependent upon him. Without a firm grasp on this our worship will inevitably degenerates into Pelagianism with a Calvinistic veneer.

So what are we given? We are given his forgiveness, his Word, his nourishment, his benediction, etc. The Divine Service is primarily God's action: he calls us into his presence; he declares our sins forgiven; he speaks his word of comfort, rebuke, and encouragement; he feeds us at his table; and he charges us with a mission, gives his benediction and sends us back into the world. Of course, at each point, we also respond: when God invites us in, we enter and confess our sinfulness; when he absolves our sins, we praise his grace in his Son; we tremble at his threats and believe his promises; we eat and drink at his banquet; and when he sends us out, we go. In all this we acknowledge that our responses depend on the Spirit's work.

The Lord gives in Word

In our Reformed tradition God's service is to us and an emphasis within that has always been on the Word as it is read, sung, and preached. Our Confessional documents are clear that God has ordained the preaching of the Word for the salvation of humanity and that through the sermon and the minister’s public reading of the Scriptures God speaks directly to the congregation. In preaching we do not hear about Christ, but we hear him. The difference is clear; when you hear about someone, that person is not present, however, in preaching we hear not the Pastor’s voice, but the voice of Christ. In our worship the voice of God comes from outside of us, as an externum verbum. That is to say we hear the Word of God. In the Divine Service God himself addresses us-through the voice of another. Hence, in Reformed theology, we affirm that the Lord's Spirit ordinarily and normally works through the instrument of the Pastor’s words.

In some circles, private devotional reading and study are the most fundamental ways in which God speaks to us in his Word. According to the Scriptures, though, the Spirit binds himself to communicate life by means of the human voice, especially as that voice speaks the Word or the gospel to us. This is what John Calvin calls a verbum sacramentale ("a sacramental word"; Inst. 4:14:4) i.e., a clearly proclaimed Gospel message through the voice of the minister is sacramental.

It is important to realize that according to the Scriptures the Spirit's work is not confined to an inner, isolated work in the soul of an individual. Unfortunately there has been a tendency for many to think of God’s spiritual renewal of people within a contemptuously anti-communal and highly individualistic framework. The focus of a renewed spiritual life is, they would have you believe, placed predominately within the framework of private quiet times. We are then taught to listen for some inner voice and expect the Spirit's guidance through mystical promptings and feelings where it's just me, God, and the Bible. This is not the biblical way nor is it the way of our Reformation heritage. There Spirit's work is ineffaceably social as God and we in his image are social beings. He uses words and actions. He uses human words, words that we speak to others as his words.

The Lord gives in Baptism & the Lord’s Supper.

In our Reformed tradition we emphasize God’s service to us is, like the Word, ordinarily conveyed in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s table. Our tradition embraces the rich means-of-grace theology of the Scriptures. Hence, Word and sacrament are the main foci of worship, and both are God's means of graciously giving the benefits of Christ to us. Worship, by implication, is not mainly about what we do before God's face; it is mainly about what God is doing to and in us.

We speak of "means of God’s grace," to emphasize that God is the one bestowing life through water, bread, and wine. As such, it is a useful reminder not to make idols of the elements. We also speak this way to emphasize that believers receive real benefit from baptism and the Supper. As such, it is a helpful corrective to feeble theologies that are widespread in the modern church. In our Reformed tradition we have highlighted the covenantal and interpersonal character of the sacramental event by referring to them as "signs and seals of the covenant of grace." Therefore, the administration of the sacraments are moments of personal encounter with the living God.

One of the most harmful notions ever foisted upon the Church is this idea that God normally communicates his presence immediately to the soul of man, by-passing all outward, physical means. Yes, it is true, that the Lord is free to work outside of his constituted means in extraordinary cases as he sees fit. But this only means that the Lord ordinarily works just as he has promised through his appointed instruments of the audible words of his ministers, through the water of Baptism, and through the bread and wine of Communion.

It is the People who are served

In our Reformed tradition it is the people who receive. Reformed worship involves our reception of God’s blessings which are responded to with our thanksgiving and petitions. We will always be receivers and petitioners before God. Our posture as recipients is as ineradicable as our nature as dependent creatures. We must by our very nature be served by God. Recognizing this is true spirituality, indeed, it is the presupposition of all true corporate worship. It is faith's posture before our all-sufficient, beneficent Lord. Christian worship provides the occasion for God's service to the church, that is, in the liturgy God serves us.

Unfortunately with regard to worship the terminology we use to describe what happens on the Lord's Day can be confusing. We've inherited the designation "worship service," which easily introduces confusion. "Service" comes from the Latin serviium, as in servitium Dei ("the service of God" or "God's service"). Classically, the "Divine Service" was primarily thought of as God's service to us (the forgiveness of sins, the service of the Word, the Sacraments, etc.) and our service of response back to God. We of course are required to respond in faith but even our faith is viewed as a gift or, if you will, a saving grace which is brought about by the Holy Spirit. God gives and we are always on the receiving end and even when we respond back to God, we give only out of what we have first received. Thus, God's operations on us come first and our actions are in grateful response to God's gracious activity. The fundamental purpose of the corporate Sunday service, therefore, is to be the place where God himself distributes his life-giving Word and Sacraments and where we prepare and receive the benefits responding back with faithful gratitude.

Ultimately this is the problem with various modern and pseudo-reformed perspectives on worship. Quite simply they have a liturgical theology that denies, at least implicitly, that the Church’s Lord’s Day Service is God's ministry to us. It is also a denial that the Word and Sacraments are to be received as the effectual means of our salvation. Much that takes place in contemporary worship is simply not centered on the true God who gives us the means of salvation in the Divine Service. Instead the church is too often viewed as a religious service industry; the equivalent to a spiritual Wal-Mart in which people are conceived of as religious consumers. The task of the church is then outfitted to make itself attractive to a specific demographic segment and entice newcomers with means that can degenerate into forms of entertainment complete with puppet shows, drama and pop music solos. The pastor is reduced to an entrepreneur or executive chairman who gives inspirational pep talks, providing cultural commentary and anecdotal self-help advice. In his duties he is called upon to optimizing the church’s human resources and provide a full-service set of activities for all ages and various interest groups. Of course these churches may sing, read the Bible, and pray but the structure and pathos of the services show little resemblance to the Scriptural protocols as contained in our Reformed Confessional documents.

The People Prepare For Worship

In our Reformed tradition we encourage the people of God to prepare themselves before coming to worship. In that worship is a face-to-face gathering with God in a covenant relationship our everyday business should be so ordered that we will not be hindered from participation in it as prescribed by the Holy Scriptures. This then forms part of the backdrop used by our Directory of Worship to insists that every person and family has the duty to be involved in public worship and to prepare for it by prayer, reading the Scriptures, and holy meditation.

We must refuse to be caught up in any conduct unbecoming to the place and occasion. It, therefore, behooves every person and family to come into God’s presence dutifully prepared. Our daily activities should be arranged in such a way that we may for a "season" lay them aside in order to sanctify the Sabbath or any other time the church authoritatively deems appropriate to celebrate certain special occasions or seasons.

Before we gather to meet with God and receive the benefits of holy communion with him we should pray for our own blessing and for the blessing of the others to attend and the ministry of the pastor. It is also appropriate that we upon entering the church take their seats in a decent and reverent manner, and engage in a silent prayer with a deep sense of awe at the thought of His perfect holiness and our own exceeding sinfulness . At the start of the service then it is important that we confess the fact the we were born in sin and that the pollution of it adheres to us. Hence, everyone is to prepare, before we get to church, as we are seated, and at the beginning of the service in order that we may be united in the gospel with one heart in all the parts of public worship until after the blessing of the benediction is pronounced. If we did not then what would we be communicating to the world about entering into the presence of a holy God?

In The Celebration of Advent People Prepare For Christmas

In our Reformed tradition the Church not only has the authority to administrate the Lord’s Day service but also to set aside other days, as it deems appropriate, to celebrate on any of the other six days or for seasonal occasions so long as they be used in a holy and devout manner.

The celebration of Advent is a way the Church encourages the people of God to prepare specifically for the celebration of Christmas. Advent is designed for waiting and watching. In our time of e-mail, instant messages, fast food, and general impatience, the very notion of waiting as a virtue is quite simplly not heard of much anymore. It's hard then to imagine a message more counter-cultural than that of Advent! During Advent Christ’s church confesses the wisdom that Jeremiah spoke of so long ago: "It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lam. 3:26). Advent observance is a quiet, peaceful oasis from the harried and hassled culture of this world which would have you, during their "shopping season" run in every direction at once. Rather than fussing and fuming about the commercialization of Christmas, the church quietly offers an alternate way of approaching December 25th by inviting us with our children to come away from the world to reflect on the promises of God!

Thus, one of the purpose of the church year, from a Presbyterian point of view, is to redeem the time. It does this by consecrating the various seasons of the year by the thematic organization of reading the word of God, prayers and other liturgical actions. This is designed to help prepare the people of God and provide an opportunity to give thanks and rejoice in what God has done in Christ. Used in this way it can be a great educational tool to teach the people the Bible and especially the life of Jesus Christ. We need not fear the Christian calendar. It has great didactic significance. The Christian year is ordered according to the life of Jesus Christ, from his birth to his ascension and pouring out of the Holy Spirit. It reminds us that as Christians we are in Christ. Each year we are reminded that the yearly cycle of our lives finds its true meaning and significance in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It gives us occasion to celebrate the mighty acts of God in the person of Jesus Christ!

As a result, during Advent, all we are doing is ordering our Scripture readings to highlight the theme of Jesus' coming, focusing our prayers on the faithfulness of God and his covenant promises, meditating on the significance of the Son of God's incarnation, and depicting with symbolic reminders these themes. Typically this is designed to help prepare us by waiting and watching in three directions.

The Church looks in the direction of those promises in Holy Scripture that the Messiah would come, that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son who is called Immanuel, God with us. These are the promises of Christmas.
The Church also watches for those ways by which Christ's life is present now in our midst: the offering of the benefits of Christ in the preaching of the Word of God and distribution of the Sacraments.
Finally, the Church watches with patience and hope for Christ's final coming in judgment. Then His word of judgment will clothe with eternal life all who believe in Him.

This world is surrounded by darkness. Advent calls this darkness to mind and penetrates this darkness with promises about the Light of life. While the world is immersed in preparations for the secular celebration of Christmas, Advent allows the Church time to prepare for rejoicing in the full glow of Christ's light shining in the darkness.

The Church prepares for that Light by observing the disciplines of Advent. These disciplines bring to the Church the nourishment that comes from the Lord's life.

Advent is a season for immersion in the words of Scripture, especially those promises of Christ's birth, of His life-giving presence in His Church through the Holy Sacraments, and of eternal life at His final coming
Advent is a season of confession and repentance. It allows the Church to see its own sin-filled darkness, confess its sin, and receive the Lord's forgiveness.
Advent is a season of fervent prayer, the Church repeating to the Lord His words that He will come again. The Church cries, Maranatha! Come, O Lord! Come quickly! (1 Cor. 16:22; Rev. 22:20)

Improving Our Baptism

2004-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

The following is a version of the article I submitted to the monthly news letter of Prosperity Presbyterian Church.

As confessional Presbyterian's we believe that members of the visible Church are offered promises of great blessing in their baptism. Although the sacrament of baptism is one of the ordinary means by which the Spirit applies the benefits of Christ to effect our salvation (see Larger Catechism 154, 162, 165) it is not an absolute guarantee that everyone baptized will take advantage of this for their profit. Indeed, some certainly will not and will therefore make the promises void by becoming a covenant breaker.

It is within this context about salvation and receiving the benefits of Christ that we are admonished to improve our baptism in the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 167. The language of "improving" upon baptism is probably an odd expression for many as it seems to have fallen into disuse. Nevertheless, it is confessed within the PCA to be a needful duty just as neglecting our baptism is confessed to be a great sin. The Westminster Divine's use of the term "improve" is now somewhat antiquated and its meaning not immediately obvious. For the sake of simplicity we may simply assert that "to improve" carried for them the meaning of making productive or profitable. Thus, the Larger Catechism is asking something like "How may we embrace the blessings promised in baptism (e.g., ingrafting into Christ, the remission of sins, regeneration, adoption, and resurrection unto everlasting life) so that they will be profitably realized in the life of the one baptized.

In answer to the question five ways are listed by which a person can improve their baptism.

• By striving to live a life of faith. Our baptism is a sign that we have given up our own individual identity so as to be identified with Christ. In the context of our new identity we need to struggle to live by faith, in part at least, that we may live a holy life united in brotherly love with all others baptized into the body of Christ.

• By finding strength in the reality that Christ died and was resurrected to newness of life. The Scriptures make clear that in baptism we have been united to Christ who was raised to a new life. From this we are to draw strength for the purpose of mortifying of the old sinful way of being human and the enlivening of God's grace for our new life.

• By maturing in the blessings sealed to us. It is utterly important that God's people grow in the assurance that we have been pardoned of our sin. In baptism we are distinguished from the world by being admitted to a privileged place- the family of God - apart from which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. Our baptism functions as seal or official certification. Baptism tells us that we are we are official participants in the covenant of grace and the benefits of Christ and, in turn, we must mature in our appropriation of that truth.

• By having humility. Baptism is a tangible manifestation of God's grace. It is only right and proper that we are then humbled concerning those aspects of our lives which are not commensurate with the incredible graciousness that God offers and exhibits in baptism.

• By taking time to soberly and gratefully reflect upon various realities concerning baptism's nature and the privileges conferred in it. We are required to remind ourselves that we are baptized people. This needs to be done through the entirety of one's life but especially in times of temptation. In baptism, we are- in a visible way- transplanted from one kingdom into another. We become members of a society which has been given Jesus Christ (Col 2.11-14; Eph 1.22-23) with all the benefits and blessings accompanying it.

Therefore, let us encourage each other and especially our youth of our baptism and the necessary duty to improve upon it.

10th Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference Paper: New Perspectives on Paul, by N.T. Wright

2004-11-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Barb at http://www.upsaid.com/scarecrow/ for providing a link to New Perspectives on Paul, by N.T. Wright For those who have an interest in the New Perspective on Paul or Tom Wright this will likely be an enjoyable read.

Excerpt: "Supposing, I thought, Paul meant 'seeking to establish their own righteousness', not in the sense of a moral status based on the performance of Torah and the consequent accumulation of a treasury of merit, but an ethnic status based on the possession of Torah as the sign of automatic covenant membership? I saw at once that this would make excellent sense of Romans 9 and 10, and would enable the positive statements about the Law throughout Romans to be given full weight while making it clear that this kind of use of Torah, as an ethnic talisman, was an abuse. I sat up in bed that night reading through Galatians and saw that at point after point this way of looking at Paul would make much better sense of Galatians, too, than either the standard post-Luther readings or the attempted Reformed ones." [Empasis added]

Uniformity in This Kirk

2004-10-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to JOEL GARVER - Uniformity in This Kirk for providing an Act of the General Assembly from Februrary 7th 1645, enacted by the 14th Session of the General Assembly. This Act adopted the recommendations of a Committee for "greater uniformity" of worship in the Scottish Church, particularly with regard to the implementation of the Directory of Public Worship. The Act includes various details about worship in general, baptism, and the administration of the Lord's Supper and is of historical value to those of us who have a concern over Reformed worship. Joel has done us a favor by making it accessible.

Things Not Always As They Might Seem

2004-10-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And when the Sabbath had come he began to teach in the synagogue.
And many who heard him were being astonished, saying,
‘How are these things with this guy?,’ and ‘This guy has wisdom given to him?’ and ‘Mighty deeds come about through his hands?’ "This guy is the carpenter, isn’t he, Mary’s son the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?’
And because of this they were scandalized.
And Jesus said to them,
‘A prophet is not dishonored, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.’
And he couldn’t do any mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

Theme: This story of unbelief is in stark contrast to the faith manifested by minor characters in earlier stories. The integral role of faith for participation in the kingdom of God is here emphatically stressed. This story illustrates the negative impact that unbelief has in being incorporated into the kingdom of God.

Structure: Jesus goes to his hometown with the disciples (v1). Next Jesus teaches at the local synagogue which evokes an astonished and scandalized response from the townspeople (vv. 2-3). Jesus gives an aphoristic response to their reaction (v. 4). Finally the fewness of Jesus’ miracles are attributed to the town’s unbelief (v. 5).

(1) Jesus goes back to his hometown of Nazareth with the disciples.

As such this story is almost a reverse of what one finds in Mark 3 in the outer part of the Beelzabul conflict. In both stories Jesus' relationship with his family is a source of conflict. While there Jesus' teaches at the synagogue.

(2) Jesus teaches at the local synagogue

We are not told specifically what the message was about- contra Luke's account- but in Mark 1:15 we are given a summary of what his preaching was about. The message was concerned with the good news that the time of curse had turned the corner and that the kingdom of God was impending. The appropriate response was that of faith and repentance.

The vast majority of NT scholars emphasize the dynamic nature of the kingdom of God pointing to God's actively reigning as king and bringing about his dominion. However, as confessing Presbyterians we also confess that there is also an institutional aspect to the kingdom as well. Thus, the Westminster Confession of Faith 25.2 states:

The visible church, which is also catholic or universal under the gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

Also, we, as confessional Presbyterians claim that the Spirit works faith in us and thereby unites us to Christ (as per Q:30 in the Shorter Catechism). Thus, one of the effects of faith is that we no longer have a life in isolation from Jesus. Were faith is there is also a participation and a connectedness with Jesus and by extension the kingdom and its benefits.

(3) The Response of a Scandalized Audience

The crowd at the synagogue responded with a rather degrogatory line of questioning. While not denying his wisdom or ability to work deeds of power they do however, question his person. "How are these things with this guy?" In this way they are not unlike the Scribes and Jesus family who respectively thought ill or evil of Jesus and/or his ability to perform wonders.

This audience consists of people who have watched Jesus grow up, work his trade, and knew his family. They knew him as an ordinary man from a local family (with a potentially questionable history) and who worked a run-of-the-mill job in an unimpressive town. Such an unimpressive and inauspicious origin as Jesus' was considered an affront. Who did this guy think he was! Were the people of Nazareth really to believe that he and his people were constituting the beginnings of God’s kingdom -the place of God’s saving activity.

Notice what they town's people do not do, they do not claim that Jesus doesn'tt have unusual wisdom or the ability to perform deeds of power. They instead discredit the person who performs them. This is very much similar to what we saw in the Beelzabul controversy where Jesus is accused of being crazy by his family and the Scribes accuse him of being empowered by the prince of demons. The people are not able to discredit the work so they dicredit the person with a derogatory line of questioning. Here it is just too unbelievable for the people of Nazareth to see one of their own- from such ordinary and simple stock- to have such lofty significance. This was for the people of Nazareth an occasion to be scandalized (Gk eskandalizonto). How could someone of such modest and humble beginnings be the viceregent of Israel's redemption bringing about a kingdom from God.

(4) Jesus Gives an Aphoristic Response

‘A prophet is not dishonored, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household’ Contrary to the town’s people questioning of Jesus’ credentials (implicitly assuming evil origins of his power) he alternatively suggests that their negative response is actually an affirmation of his status as a prophet. Jesus has come to his hometown like a prophet and much like the prophets of old he finds himself and his message being rejected, in part, upon the grounds that familiarity breeds contempt/dishonor.

(5) The Fewness of Jesus' Miracles is Attributed to the People's Unbelief

Mark has frequently emphasizes the importance of faith in various miracle contexts (2:5, 4:40; 5:34-36; 9:23-24; 10:52; 11:22-24) but the mention that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty work is a bit striking. Whatever else we may make of this detail we can say with some confidence that Jesus and his miracles is significantly different from the wandering magicians who tried to overpower skepticism with dazzling exhibitions of supernatural displays of power. Manifestations of God’s reign in expressions of powerful deeds are correlated and in some significant way to and limited by a return of faith. An imperfect but potentially helpful analogy may be found in human relationships; love, to be fully experienced, must be returned. While the opposition of unbelief to God’s kingdom it surely cannot thwart it, those who respond in unbelief will not fully experience the grace of God’s reign.

Promising New Project by Tim Gallant

2004-10-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

covenantrenewal.com - Home
This looks to be a promising new site. Look forward to visiting it often.

New book by Vandeerkam on the High Priest

2004-10-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mark Goodacre at NT Gateway Weblog for pointing out what looks to be a significant work on the Jewish High Priests. This one has already made it on my 'must read' list.

This press release is from Fortress Press:

James VanderKam Assembles the First History of the Jewish High Priests

MINNEAPOLIS (October 18, 2004) From one of the most authoritative and respected scholars of early Judaism comes From Joshua to Caiaphus: High Priests after the Exile, a unique history of the central actors in Israel's religious and civil history. Beginning late in the Old Testament period and continuing for the next six hundred years, the Jewish high priests were often the most important members of Jewish society. They not only possessed religious authority but also exercised political control. This book gathers and assesses the surviving evidence about each of the fifty-one men who served as high priest from about 515 BCE until approximately 70 CE when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.

The primary purpose of this history of the high priests in the Second Temple age has been to gather and assess all of the available information about each one of them, from Joshua in the late sixth century BCE to Phannias during the Jewish revolt against Rome (66–70 CE). A secondary aim has been to investigate the status of these high-ranking
officials—specifically whether they also wielded civic authority. . .
.

It is worth emphasizing what this book is and is not. It is a history of the Second Temple high priests; it is not a history of the priesthood. . . . The book is not primarily a history of the Second Temple period, although the history regularly impinges on the narrative and provides the organizing principle of the presentation.''— from the Preface

“James VanderKam has written the first complete history of the high priests in the Second Temple period. Like all VanderKam’s work, this is marked by clarity of style, thoroughness of coverage, and sound judgment. An Indispensable reference work for the study of Second Temple Judaism.”—John J. Collins, Author of Introduction to the Hebrew Bible with CD-ROM

“An extremely significant comprehensive study of the high priesthood of the Second Temple. It is becoming increasingly clear how all-important the priesthood was in early Judaism. This study is now the indispensable starting point for sorting through the texts and research on this topic.”—David M. Carr, Author of Writing on the Tablet of the Heart

“VanderKam shows how to sustain a historical narrative while presenting the detailed exegesis and nuanced judgments that inform and support it. His meticulous research brings to life in their contexts the influential personages who populate the world of the Apocrypha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the New Testament, and Josephus and provides fresh insights and historical refinements for students of Second Temple Judaism and first-century Christianity. A Mature piece of historical analysis.” —George W. E. Nickelsburg, Author of Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins

James VanderKam is the John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. He is the author of numerous works, including The Dead Sea Scrolls Today (1994), An Introduction to Early Judaism (2001), The Book of Jubilees (2001), and The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls (with Peter Flint, 2002).

Format: Hardcover 568 pages 6 x 9 inches
Item No: 0800626176
Price: $35.00

New Article by Tim Gallant "Word and Sacrament"

2004-10-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

There is a new article by Tim Gallant that is worth checking out if you have an interest in things sacramental.

timgallant.org Biblical Studies Center - "Word and Sacrament": "That sacraments are not magical rites - any more than a kiss or a hug is magical, despite being something other than verbal communication. Nor are the sacraments redundant - any more than a kiss or a hug is simply superfluous, serving a function equally served by speech. God has made us embodied and social and creatures of ritual, and these aspects of our being our not 'unspiritual' or irrelevant to the way in which redemption comes to us. Salvation in Christ is not a mere intellectual philosophy, but a fully-integrated redemption of the whole person."

Jerusalem Post: Hershel Shanks on James Ossuary and Archaeology

2004-10-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem Post Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World:

Here is an article that came out last week. It stood out as I had recently seen a T.V. special (don't remember by who now) that simply considered the ossuary a fake. I thought then that Hershel Shanks was a voice to the contrary but wasn't sure where he stood. Here is an excerpt:

But given the murky facts surrounding its discovery, shouldn't the burden of proof be on those like yourself arguing its authenticity?

I question this 'burden of proof' remark of yours. You do have to be careful. There are forgeries, and there are some pretty good ones, but I don't think the burden of proof is one way or another. I think that what we need, what we always had, is a presentation of scholarly views, and an openness to these views not a court that comes down and declares something as forgery or authentic.

Article by Mark Horne: PCANews

2004-10-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this article this morning by mark Horne a teaching Elder in the Denomination to which I belong. It seemed like a nice compliment to the previous entry on "Improving our Baptism" In it he says:

We are to look at baptism as God’s transplantation of a person from the world into the Church . . . baptism seals to us blessings that we have not yet experience . . . the future we anticipate begins at baptism, a beginning which each of us is to “improve” upon. Our confession nowhere tells us to “improve” our birth in a Christian home. Nor does it tell us . . . to improve on our conversion at Bible Camp. It tells us to improve on our baptisms . . . Is this how we preach and teach? Is this what we expect to hear when we ask for Christian testimonies? If not, perhaps we need to figure out why there is such a discrepancy
PCANews

What is the Church? A Couple of thoughts on the Confession.

2004-10-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

The visible Church, which is also catholic or universal under the Gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. (Westminster Confession of Faith 25.2)

Unto this catholic visible Church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and doth, by His own presence and Spirit, according to His promise, make them effectual thereunto. (Westminster Confession of Faith 25.3)

It is not uncommon to find numerous books about making decisions concerning "world views" or "belief systems" or some type of "ideology". According to the Christian philosopher Ronald Nash a worldview is "a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality" (Worldviews in Conflict: Choosing Christianity in a World of Ideas. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992). He rightly contends that all people consciously or unconsciously have a worldview or a way in which they see the world and interpret things around them.

No doubt there is much of value in sorting things out according to worldviews. Many following the lead of such people as Ron Nash and others will contend that "Christianity" is an ideology that encompasses a range of beliefs and stances that broadly conform to the philosophic category of worldview. The Scriptures, however (at least as understood by Westminster Confession styled Presbyterians) do not confess such a category. We, thus, do not confess anything about Christians as a people who embrace the worldview of Christianity but we, instead, give corporate identity to Christians in terms of being members of the Church. For us, Christians are defined corporately in terms of their participation, in good standing, within the Church.

A person then isn't identified as a Christian because of worldview they embrace but by what community they are part of. Christians are given their definition and identity in relationship to Christ’s institution known as the Church. The church is defined in institutional terms being classified as a family and kingdom. And much in the same way that a person is not defined as a member of a family or kingdom based on particular "beliefs" neither by and large is a Christian. Our confessional standards would have us view the identity of a Christian in terms of their incorporation into the Church.

So of whom does the church in its visible manifestation consists of? All those who profess the true religion and also their children. The visible manifestation of the Church is the society of those profess the true religion along with their children.

For what purpose does the church exist? For the gathering and perfecting of the saints. The church exists in order to gather up those who are outside and, for those who are within, it exists in order to bring them to perfection. Will the church be successful in this? The Confessions says that by Christ’s presence and Spirit, He promises to be effective.

Are there benefits to being part of this institution known as the visible church? Of course there is. We are told that it is an institution which is given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God and out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. This includes nothing less than that the Church is an institution in which its ministers dispenses the tangible means by which Christ -as applied by the Holy Spirit- communicates the ordinary and effective means that bring about the salvation of the elect. Thus we read in the Larger Catechism

Question 63: What are the special privileges of the visible church?
Answer: The visible church has the privilege of being under God's special care and government; of being protected and preserved in all ages, not withstanding the opposition of all enemies; and of enjoying the communion of saints, the ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by Christ to all the members of it in the ministry of the gospel, testifying, that whosoever believes in him shall be saved, and excluding none that will come unto him.

Improving our Baptism

2004-09-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

Westminster Larger Catechism Q167.

This language of "improving" upon baptism is probably an odd expression for many. It, for whatever reason, seems to have fallen into disuse. I have actually never heard it used by a Pastor within my denomination to admonish or encourage a congregation. This is a bit odd given that it is confessed to be a needful duty.

Nevertheless, such language is part of the theological nomenclature concerning baptism within the Larger Catechism. Given that it was considered a "great sin" to neglect baptism it may be interesting to figure out what the Westminster Divines meant by improving upon it. It seems unlikely that anyone was trying to suggest that somehow baptism is lacking and we could add something to and make it better. "Improve", as a term, could also be used with regard to making something productive or profitable. This is likely the case here. Thus, the blessings promised in baptism should be embraced in such a way as to keep them profitably until they are finally and completely realized. In contrast, Presbyterians have typically understood that the blessings of baptism can also be made unprofitable and void if responded to in unbelief.

The Larger Catechism lists five ways in which we can improve our baptism.

By striving to live a life of faith. We are a people who, in baptism, have given up our own individual identity so as to be identified with Christ. The struggle to live by faith is embarked upon, at least in part, in order that we live a holy and righteous life united in brotherly love with those who have also been baptized into the body of Christ.

By finding strength in the reality that Christ died and was resurrected to newness of life. In baptism we have been united to Christ who was raised to a new life. We may draw strength from this fact for the purpose of mortifying of the old sinful way of being human and the enlivening of God’s grace for our burgeoning new life.

By maturing in the blessings sealed to us. We are to grow in our assurance that we have been pardoned of our sinfulness. In baptism we are distinguished from the world by having been blessed with admittance to a privileged place- the family of God - apart from which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. In baptism we are privileged by having having various blessings sealed to us concerning the covenant of grace, ingrafting into Christ, regeneration, the forgiveness of sins, adoption, and resurrection,

By having humility. We are to be humbled concerning those aspects of our lives which are not commensurate with the incredible graciousness that God offers and exhibits in baptism.

By taking time to soberly and gratefully reflect upon various realities concerning baptism's nature and the privileges conferred in it. We are required to remind ourselves that we are baptized people. This needs to be done through the entirety of one's life but especially in times of temptation. In baptism, we are- in a visible way- transplanted from one kingdom to another. We become members of a society which has been given Jesus Christ (Col 2.11-14; Eph 1.22-23) with all its benefits and blessings.

While members of the Church are offered promises of great blessing in their baptism, the Scriptures do not guarantee that every member will take advantage of this for their profit. Indeed, some will not and will make the promises void and useless by becoming a covenant breaker. This is all the more reason to encourage each other and our youth of the necessary duty to improve our baptism.

In short, improving our baptism means that we are to live out our Christian life upon the basis that we have been united to Christ through our baptism. This, it seems to me, is the basic argumentative strategy of the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:1-11. As Presbyterians this is also near the heart of how we undertand our Christian identity and the life that ensues from it.

Family Worship.

2004-09-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Puritan vision of the family, as it has been communicated to me, was one in which every home was a micro-church with the father acting as its minister. This responsibility included the leading of the family in worship and religious instruction. This was never to be delegated to anyone else not even to the local Church let alone a youth program. The function of the church's activities was to support the family in instructing and training youth but the Church was never to replace the family as the primary means of religious instruction or spiritual development. In fact, the Ruling Elders and Ministers were required to look into the family life of the congregation to ensure that they were practicing family worship, make it known that such practice was not optional, and that its neglect could eventually result in excommunication.

Such were the conviction of the original recipients of the Westminster Confession. And on August 24th , 1647, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland approved a set of guidelines to help govern and direct the worship which was to take place in the home. The guidelines for family worship was titled, Directory for Family Worship. and was one of the documents that constituted the Westminster Standards.

In my own denomination (PCA) we also have a Directory For the Worship of God which states the following in chapter sixty three.

63-1. In addition to public worship, it is the duty of each person in secret, and of every family in private, to worship God.

63-2. Secret worship is most plainly enjoined by our Lord. In this duty everyone, apart, should spend some time in prayer, reading the Scriptures, holy meditation, and serious self-examination. The many advantages arising from a conscientious performance of these duties are best known to those who are found in the faithful discharge of them.

63-3. Family worship, which should be observed by every family, consists in prayer, reading the Scriptures, and singing praises; or in some briefer form of outspoken recognition of God.

63-4. Parents should instruct their children in the Word of God, and in the principles of our holy religion. The reading of devotional literature should be encouraged and every proper opportunity should be embraced for religious instruction.

63-5. Parents should set an example of piety and consistent living before the family. Unnecessary private visits on the Lord’s Day and indulgence in practices injurious to the spiritual life of the family, should be avoided.

63-6. In the supreme task of religious education, parents should co-operate with the Church by setting their children an example in regular and punctual attendance upon the sessions of the church school and the services of the sanctuary, by assisting them in the preparation of their lessons, and by leading them in the consistent application of the teachings of the Gospel in their daily activities.

Exorcisms

2004-09-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

And the scribes who were from Jerusalem came down and were claiming, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and, " He exorcizes demons by the ruler of demons" So he called them before him and spoke to them using analogies:
How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom will not be able to stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand but rather he is finished.
But no one is able, upon entering the strong man’s house, to plunder his things unless he first binds up the strong man - then indeed he can plunder his house.
I’m telling you the truth, the sons of humanity will be forgiven for all sins, even all blasphemous utterances. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"
– for they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

One of the hallmark features of Jesus' mighty deeds were his exorcisms. Unfortunately much of the secondary literature on the subject -- until relatively recently-- has been sadly lacking, regrettably naive and lamentably vacuous regarding first century Jewish culture. However, Mark 3:22-30 tells of a specific incident that provides a window thru which we might understand the exorcisms as a whole.

The basic structure of this text, for our purposes, can be broken down into two discrete parts: an accusation and a three-part response.

The accusation:Jesus' ability to exorcise demoniacs came from Beelzebul. The function of such a charge was obviously to discredit Jesus in front of the populace that has come out to see him.

Response (part one): The first part of the response is to rebuff the logic of the scibes accusation. Jesus repudiates the idea that the ruler of demons might act against his own forces. The argument is based on an analogy with a kingdom and a house which both come to ruin if divided. The point is made hypothetically: if Satan were to act against himself, then such a move would be a suicidal, but Satan manifestly has not brought about his own destruction.

Response (part two): The second part of Jesus' rebuff is to set forth a contrary explanation. The function of the argument is to indicate that the scribes' charge is false because a contrary explanation is true. The form argument is in an enigmatic parable, "But no one is able, upon entering the strong man's house, to plunder his things unless he first binds up the strong man- then he can plunder his house." Contra Ben Witherington the picture at work here is not one of Jesus engaged in a form of criminal activity-- breaking and entering and stealing. No. That completly misses the "New Exodus" motif through which Mark has so clearly indicated that we should interpret the entire Gospel (see Mk 1:1-3). This image lines up strikingly well with what Isaiah states in 49:24-25:

Can booty be taken from the strong man, or captives be rescued from the conqueror? "Indeed," says the Lord, "captives will be taken from the strong man; plunder will be retrieved from the conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue your children."

In Isaiah the people of Israel are told that Yahweh would give them over to captivity. In response, Yahweh is questioned about Israel's future. If Israel is taken captive by the strong man (Babylon) then can she ever hope to be free again? The answer was, "Indeed!" Why? Because Yahweh himself would come and overpower the strong man and plunder the conquering tyrant. Israel's heirs would by rescued by God stealing them back from the oppressors and tyrants that put her into captivity.

Thus, for Mark, Jesus is embodying the long-awaited hope of liberation spoken of in Isaiah. The tangible yet symbolic manifestation of that salvation was taking place within Jesus' exorcisms. Jesus has already bound the strong man (perhaps in the wilderness encounter?) and is now plundering his house be retaking back those who belong to God.

Response (part three): The third part of Jesus' rebuff is to give a clarion warning of judgement to those who would attribute that the power/authority in Jesus' exorcisms was from Satan. These mighty deeds of Jesus are empowered by the Spirit and manifest God's salvific work and to claim that they are done by Beelzebul is to run perilously close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit which never has forgiveness. Such an accusation as the scribes were making and the blashemous characterization of the Holy Spirit that went with it was not an innocent mistake and neither would there be forgiveness.

Jonathan Reed on Excavating Jesus

2004-09-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Reed on Excavating Jesus:

The Herodians mentioned in the Gospels were apparently a religious/political group or possibly family members which supported the claims of Antipas to act as a true king for the Jews. The legitimacy of the Herodian dynasty was hotly disputed and even resisted by some, not the least, because it was granted to the Herodian family by a foreign authority. In Galilee, during the time of Jesus, Antipas' reign may have been particularly sensitive issue as he was involved in a building program, much like his father, which showed his loyalty to Rome. The article by John Reed points out some of the details concerning this. Below is an excerpt from that piece.

"Herod's son Antipas (4 BCE - 39 CE) inherited Galilee, but Caesar Augustus refused to give Herod's title, King of the Jews, to Antipas, naming him instead a tetrarch, ruler of a fourth. One suspects, however, that he always hoped to become King of the Jews by Roman appointment. Early in his reign, he rebuilt the city of Sepphoris as his Galilean capital, four miles from Nazareth. Then in 14 CE Augustus died and his son Tiberius, finally, took over the empire. Then, and only then, did Antipas make his move. He built a new capital and minted his first coins. Mimicking his father, he built Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee not far from Capernaum as a Graeco-Roman style city and harbor, named it after the new Roman Emperor, and thereby continued to urbanize his kingdom, link it up with the broader world, and vie for the title of king. That, after all, is how his father had built his kingdom."

Mark's Opening Words and the Priene Inscription

2004-09-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

New Testament Gateway: The Gospel of Mark (Articles and Reviews)

According to NT Scholar Craig Evans the opening words of the Gospel of Mark mimick the sort of language used within the imperial cult:

Since Providence, which has rdered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most prfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he light benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance (excelled even our anticipations), surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings for the world that came by reason of him.

By also quoting Isa. 40.3, Mark, according to Evans appears to have welded together two disparate theologies. On the one hand, he proclaims to the Jewish people the fulfillment of their fondest hopes—the good news of the prophet Isaiah, while on the other hand he has boldly announced to the Roman world that the good news for the world began not with Julius Caesar and his descendants, but with Jesus Christ, the true son of God. Thus, Despite rejection at the hands of his own people (and the most important people, as importance would have been measured at that time), and a shameful death at the hands of the most powerful people, Jesus was indeed the son of God, humanity's true Savior and Lord.

Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era

2004-09-01T03:05:00.000-07:00

Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era:

N.S. Gill from Your Guide to Ancient/Classical History gives James S. Jeffers', The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era - Exploring the Background of Early Christianity four out of five stars. Jeffers' work is a now classic exploration of the background of early Christianity providing a broad and full account of social realities of early Christian life in the Greco-Roman world.

Roman Wives, Roman Widows . . . Bruce Winter

2004-08-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

Review of Biblical Literature

Here is an addition to the SBL Review of Biblical Literature under the New Testament heading: Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities

Winter, Bruce W. $26.00
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003
pp. xvii + 236
Paperback

PBS Special: Ancient Refuge in the Holy Land

2004-08-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jim West who notes in XTalk -- a moderated academic e-List dedicated to the scholarly investigation and discussion of the critical questions and issues surrounding the study of the Jesus of History and the rise of Christianity -- of an upcoming PBS special -- ANCIENT REFUGE IN THE HOLY LAND On Television Tuesday, November 30, 8pm ET/PT on NOVA (PBS)-- PBS describes the program as follows:

In a gloomy cave perched high in a canyon near the Dead Sea,archaeologists made a startling discovery in 1960: a bag containing letterswritten on papyrus nearly two thousand years ago. The letters were writtenby one of the great figures of Jewish history, the rebel Bar-Kokhba, wholed a heroic guerilla uprising against the Romans. Now Biblical scholarRichard Freund returns to the cave with the latest archaeologicaltechniques, hoping to find more traces of Bar-Kokhba's epic struggle.

Josephus on How Herod the Great Became King

2004-08-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

N. S. Gill helpfully provides a link to Herod the Great - Flavius Josephus How Herod the Great Became King. The article is primarily the words of Flavius Josephus in his history, Antiquities of the Jews. He tells the story of the rise to power of Herod the Great, King of Judea.

Pharisaic Irony

2004-08-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

And once again Jesus went into the synagogue; and a man was there with a withered hand. And they were keeping a close eye on Jesus,to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, for the purpose of constructing a charge against him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Stand up, in front of everyone!" And he said to them, "What is lawful on the Sabbath? Do good or do harm? Save life or kill?" But they were silent. And he -- glancing around with anger, and distressed at how hard their hearts were -- said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against Jesus, for this purpose, that they might destroy him. (Mark 3:1-6)

In this episode there is a strange match-up of two disperate groups: the Pharisees and the Herodians.

The Herodians mentioned in the Gospels were apparently a religious/political group or possibly family members which supported the claims of Antipas to act as a true king for the Jews. Herod the Great was granted a Jewish kingship by Marc Antony from 37 to 4 BC. After Herod’s death his Kingship/territory was divided between his sons Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip. The legitimacy of the Herodian dynasty was hotly disputed and even resisted by some not the least because it was granted to the Herodian family by a foreign authority.

The Pharisees were an unofficial but powerful Jewish pressure group through the most of the first centuries BC and AD. They were largely a lay-led movement whose aim was to purify Israel through intensified observance of the Jewish law and had developed traditions about the precise nuances of the law’s meaning and application. The basic pathos of this group seems to be to promote a separatist moral and political agenda. Thus, they were at the forefront of various resistance movements against both pagan dominion and Jewish leadership that had been compromised by Rome.

Understanding this, I think, helps in contributing an understanding of the Pharisaic worldview in which it makes sense as to why they oppose Jesus eating with tax-collectors.

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'? (Mark 2:16)

The Pharisees oppose tax collectors for what reason? Because they worked for Herod. Herod was taxing folks to pay for his building plan which included among other things buildings and even cities dedicated to show his loyalty to Rome. The Pharisees opposed Rome and therefore opposed Herod and therefore those who had "sold out" to work for him i.e., the tax collectors.

Do you see the irony now with whom the Pharisees took counsel in order to destroy Jesus? It was the Herodians. The Pharisees had shown themselves to have acted in the manner after which they accused Jesus.

RITUAL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA

2004-08-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

For those with an interest in the Apocypha or the study of ritual James Davila has posted his article RITUAL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA which he delivered at the Symposium on Anthropology and the Old Testament, Glasgow, 27 August 2004. He begins:

"Recent decades have seen the emergence of 'ritual studies' as a field in its own right, one pursued with increasing methodological sophistication and applied not only in the social sciences but also in the humanities. This paper is one segment of a larger project to explore the place of ritual in ancient Jewish literature that was transmitted by Christians but dropped by Jews. The larger corpus includes the works of Philo and Josephus; the Jewish Pseudepigrapha and the Old Testament "

Davila works his paper within the categories set forth by Catherine Bell, in her book Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), which proposes a sixfold typology of ritual, including rites of passage, calendrical rites, rites of exchange and communion, rites of affliction, rites of feasting and fasting, and political rites.

Theologia :: Sacraments :: Trying to be Objective

2004-08-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to Barb who has posted a link to Mark Horne's article at Theologia :: Sacraments :: Trying to be Objective: He begins by saying

"There has been a great deal of controversy in the various conservative Reformed microdenominations in North America. Since I am a pastor in one of these and have been advocating a return to the historic Protestant and Confessional view over again the baptistic mutation that is now prevalent in our circles, this is of some interest to me. "

The issue is over "Baptismal Regeneration." It seems that many in our "microdenomination" (Mark is in the PCA) are misinformed about the way the Westminster Standards define baptism. For some odd reason "Baptismal Regeneration" has become a bad term in these circles. Some form or another of Baptismal Regeneration, from my understanding, has been a fundamental understanding of the Church. The Westminster Standards present a particular way of understanding this but it is hard to deny that the "Reformed & Presebyterian" tradition dosen't embrace that the grace promised in baptism is not only offered, but really exhibited, and conferred, by the Holy Ghost or that salvation is annexed to it or that baptism is an effectual means of salvation or that Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are applied to believers through it. These are the words used to express baptism in the Westminster Standards. If you have any doubts concerning this and are "trying to be objective" look at Mark's piece.

What they didn't tell you at your baptism

2004-08-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

I found Barb's church experience concerning infant baptism quite disheartening and very sad Whilin' Away the Hours : Upsaid Web Journal. Here is a sample:

In 21 years, I've belonged to 2 Orthodox Presbyterian Churches. For 17 years in the first church, I heard a lengthy disclaimer prior to baptism of an infant. We do not believe X, Y, or Z nevertheless . . . To be honest, with all the disclaimers ringing in my ears, I never gave much thought to the significace of even the first line of the OPC Form for Holy Baptism much less the rest of it.

In my own denomination I have unfortunately had a tragically similar experience and it just about breaks my heart. I have simply never heard a simple and straightforward declaration of what the PCA believes concerning baptism that wasn't buried under piles of disclaimers. I simply do not know why this is? There is such a beautiful message to be heard if our Pastors would simply speak it.

Below is a section from the PCA's Book of Church Order concerning what is to be communicated at a baptism. I have placed in bold those sorts of things that I, somehow, do not seem to hear at our baptisms :

Before baptism, the minister is to use some words of instruction, touching the institution, nature, use, and ends of this sacrament, showing:

a. That it is instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ;

b. That it is a seal of the Covenant of Grace, of our ingrafting into Christ, and of our union with Him, of remission of sins, regeneration, adoption, and life eternal;

c. That the water, in baptism, represents and signifies both the blood of Christ, which taketh away all guilt of sin, original and actual; and the sanctifying virtue of the Spirit of Christ against the dominion of sin, and the corruption of our sinful nature;

d. That baptizing, or sprinkling and washing with water, signifies the cleansing from sin by the blood and for the merit of Christ, together with the mortification of sin, and rising from sin to newness of life, by virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ;

e. That the promise is made to believers and their children; and that the children of believers have an interest in the covenant, and right to the seal of it, and to the outward privileges of the Church, under the Gospel, no less than the children of Abraham in the time of the Old Testament; the Covenant of Grace, for substance, being the same; and the grace of God, and the consolation of believers, more plentiful than before;

f. That the Son of God admitted little children into His presence, embracing and blessing them, saying, “For of such is the kingdom of God”;

g. That children by Baptism, are solemnly received into the bosom of the Visible Church, distinguished from the world, and them that are without, and united with believers; and that all who are baptized in the name of Christ, do renounce, and by their Baptism are bound to fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh;

h. That they are federally holy before Baptism, and therefore are they baptized;

i. That the inward grace and virtue of Baptism is not tied to that very moment of time wherein it is administered; and that the fruit and power thereof reaches to the whole course of our life; and that outward baptism is not so necessary, that through the want thereof, the infant is in danger of damnation;

j. By virtue of being children of believing parents they are, because of God’s covenant ordinance, made members of the Church, but this is not sufficient to make them continue members of the Church. When they have reached the age of discretion, they become subject to obligations of the covenant: faith, repentance and obedience. They then make public confession of their faith in Christ, or become covenant breakers, and subject to the discipline of the Church.

Jesus' Authority to heal on the Sabbath

2004-08-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

And once again Jesus went into the synagogue; and a man was there with a withered hand. And they were keeping a close eye on Jesus,to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, for the purpose of constructing a charge against him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Stand up, in front of everyone!" And he said to them, "What is lawful on the Sabbath? Do good or do harm? Save life or kill?" But they were silent. And he -- glancing around with anger, and distressed at how hard their hearts were -- said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against Jesus, for this purpose, that they might destroy him. (Mark 3:1-6)

This is a healinging story concerned with showing a conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. The basic structure of this text, it seems, can be broken down into a few discrete parts. (1) The setting: Jesus enters into a synagogue were there is a person with a crippled hand and Pharisees who are watching on closely. (2) A pronouncement: Jesus questions those watching him as to what is appropriate sabbath keeping. (3) A Response: The Pharisees respond initially with silence and the eventual by conspiring with the Herodians against him.

In order to appreciate the impact of this story it must be remembered that Sabbath observance had all sorts of social pressures attached to it as well as legal sanction. It was a badge of Jewish identity especially for those who had been persecuted and killed for their ethnic and religious identity. Within Israel's charter document, the 10 Commandments, it was connected to both creation and liberation from pagan oppression.

Jesus' pronouncement of the Pharisees' "hard-heartedness" rings out like a prophetic voice -- of a by-gone era -- against law-breaking Israelites. Is it legal to enhance life or to harm it? If Sabbath speaks to issues of creation and redemption then the answer is obvious.

Jesus was bringing in a whole new era which was understood in terms of a "new creation" and a more complete "redemption." What better way was there for Jesus to celebrate God's creation and God's redemption than through the concrete yet symbolic manifestation of healing. And so, of course, Jesus' approach and attitude to Sabbath was on a collision course with the Pharisees. The self-appointed guardians of the ancestral traditions were so caught up in engendering God to act that they had no eyes to see that He was in the person of Jesus.

A Kind Mention @ Whilin' Away the Hours : Web Journal

2004-08-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

I got a kind mention on Weds Aug 26 at Barb's blog Whilin' Away the Hours : Upsaid Web Journal. Thanks. This is my first foray into the blog world and I'm still learning my way around it. Barb's execution of what a blog can be is truly inspiring.

Eucharistic Unity

2004-08-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday in our S.S. class the topic was on unity and how we are one. Unfortunately, the author of the book used is anti-sacramental and thus missed a fundamental way that the Apostle Paul saw Christian unity: in the bread of the eucharist. How can we as a diverse group of people really be one? Because there is only one loaf and we all share in it. That is Paul's logic. Can the Apostle be much clearer than:

Because there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Cor 10:17)

Brief Correction

2004-08-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

In the September "Prosperity Proclamation" (monthly church news letter) an editorial desicion was made to change "Baptism is to be administrated by the Session" into "Baptism is to be approved by the Session." While a Session is involved in approving those who come for baptism, the language of the Book of Church Order (BCO) is much broader; including the exercising of its power with regard to the over-all management of the sacraments. The BCO Chapter 12 paragraph 5 subparagraph e reads as follows:

The church Session is charged with maintaining the spiritual government of the church, for which purpose it has power: To exercise, in accordance with the Directory for Worship, authority over the time and place of the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments, over all other religious services . . .

The only point I wanted to make was that the Session (not just the Pastor) is charged with the power of administration concerning the sacraments. The Session not only approves who should be baptized but also has oversight over every aspect of managing this sacrament. Thus, whatever details goes into properly managing the sacraments (e.g., ensuring that that no one has to unduly wait to be baptized or unduly waits to present their children for baptism) belong to the Session.

Cruciformity

2004-08-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tom of Cruciformity: who points out "The Ascension is often viewed as Jesus' exaltion pertaining to his identity as God as Augustine primarily understood it. What gets lost or at the very least gets thinned out in the equation as Douglas Farrow has pointed out in his book is Jesus exaltation pertaining to his humanity. . . In Jesus' Ascension to the Father's right hand we can say, without any reservation, there is a man in heaven, ruling and reigning and fulfilling the mandate of creation, and in the sending of the Holy Spirit, we his people participate in his Ascension (Col 3) bringing about in our bodies the realities of Jesus' reign over the world."

If I'm understanding Tom's entry right then I think we can say the following two things concerning the continuing incarnation in the ascension of Jesus:

The Son represents us in the heavenly court. Jesus Christ descended into humanity in order that he might, while wearing the flesh of humanity, raise us up with him to the Father in heaven. The fully human one has gone within the heavenly court and by being united to him according to the Spirit, through baptism, we are represented in the heavenly realms. (Rom 6:4, Eph 2:6; Col 2:12)

We now represent the Son here on earth. The incarnation continues here on earth to the extent that we embody Christ to the world. The risen Christ can say, "The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me." So when the gospel is proclaimed by the disciples it is the equivalent of hearing Jesus (Luke10:16a). Conversely, failing to listen to the message of the apostles is equivalent to failing to listen to Jesus, and consequently to God (Luke 16b).

Lord of the Sabbath

2004-08-23T04:04:00.000-07:00

Jesus was traveling through grain fields, on a Sabbath, and as they were making their way his disciples began pulling ears of grain. And the Pharisees spoke to him, "Look here! Why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?" So he responded, "Haven't you ever read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those who were with him-- how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was High Priest and ate the bread of the Presence -- which only priests are allowed to eat-- and he gave it to those who were with him? Then he told them, "The Sabbath was created for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath; So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.

On Sunday nights, at our church, we are looking at the Gospel of Mark. Last night we took a closer look at Mark 2:23-28. The basic structure of the text, it seems, can be broken down into a few discrete parts. (1) The Setting: The disciples pluck grain while traveling with Jesus on the Sabbath. (2) An Accusation: Pharisees accusingly question Jesus' authority to act in such a way on the Sabbath. (3) A Two-Fold Response: Jesus appeals to the life of David, in essence, claiming that an analogous situation is taking place and gives a slogan stating that he can override Sabbath practices that are repressive to the humanity of his followers because he is the Sabbath's Lord.

The Setting. Now Ed Sanders has found this setting to be historically implausible as the Pharisees, in his mind, were not likely to spend their sabbaths in Galilean cornfields in the hopes of catching someone breaking the law (Jesus and Judaism. Philadelphia: Fortress 1985). Sanders surely has a point in-so-far-as it is unlikely that Pharisees just sat around farms waiting to see if someone would break a Sabbath norm. Personally, it doesn't seem that difficult, however, to envision that some of the Pharisees would take an interest in the purity & piety of a man claiming to be a prophet, announcing a message that was undermining their own, acting in a way that struck at the very pillars of Jewish identity, and was developing a reputation in sectors of the country where their own influence was likely not as strong as they wished.

The Accusation. The Pharisees are obviously concerned about the condition and practices of the masses and Jesus is beginning to gather a following in villages of Galilee. Would he be an asset to their movement? Would he, and his movement lend support to the fight for liberation? Was he committed to the ancient traditions? It wasn't looking good. Jesus and his companions were doing that which was prohibited on Sabbath. Who did Jesus think he was to act with disregard to to Israel's sacred traditions? And so the words of accusation, "Why are you doing what is against the law?"

The Response. It is interesting to me as to what Jesus' response doesn't say. He doesn't say that we simply disagree as to the exact nature of how Sabbath should be kept holy. The accusation and response both assume that Jesus is breaking normal Sabbath observance. Jesus instead makes an appeal to his identity. He is claiming to be Israel's true king and provides a parallel example of another king who, on a specific occassion, rightly diregarded normal Sabbath observance. The example is David. Jesus appeals to an episode in the life of David (when he had been anointed to be king but was not yet enthroned) in which David took bread from the Temple and feed himself and his followers. So just as David and his followers had the right to by-pass the normal legal regulations given their unusual situation so all the more so Jesus (who had been anointed but was not yet enthroned) and his people had the right to by-pass normal Sabbath observance given the unique situation they were in.

The second part of his response involved something a riddle or slogan, "The Son of Humanity is Lord even of the Sabbath." While the exact nuance of it has puzzled scholars the basic thrust is clear enough: Jesus is greater than even David, he Lord over the Sabbath and if a particular practice was going to be repressive to the humanity of his followers then as the Sabbath's lord he can override the practice.

Random Thoughts on Death's Curse & The Christian Story

2004-08-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Upon hearing of the difficulties a dear friend of mine is having I was reminded of how the Christian narrative tells us a story of a world cursed by Death. It is a story of how the God of Israel, the creator of the cosmos, brought about this world and its inhabitants into existence and how the world and humanity had suffered from the entrance and infection of sin and evil.

If I could only chose one word to express the tragedy that has cursed humanity that word would be death. If the existence of "this age" is a drama then the lead character would have to be Death. This world has suffered greatly from the curse of Death: it has undone what creation was meant to be; it has disintegrated and shattered the world making it something it shouldn’t be – broken. Humanity found itself in exile and alienation from God. Death comprises the dark composition of all existence in its sphere; it encompasses the ebb and flow of the way things are; it is a pervasive entity of which an individual’s suffering is but a singular manifestation of its cosmic reach. Death holds the world captive.

The Christian story, although commencing with the entrance of Death into human existence ultimately has its denouement in its rectification in Christ. God had decisively enacted a rescue of the cosmos from the power of Death in this age through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; though, the full scope of that rescue is not yet apparent. The Christian story is, you see, more complex and nuanced than the sanitized "happy-ever-after" stories Hollywood has inculturated us with. In the Christian story we are exposed to deeper truths which point to realities more beautiful than suffering is hard, of a love more powerful than Death is strong.

Part of this truth, expressed in countless catechisms and confessions, is that upon death the souls of the blessed enter immediately into the divine presence, where they enjoy the unmediated vision of God, joining in the angelic liturgy. As true as this may be it is, notwithstanding, such a decidedly truncated vision of the Christian story as to be misleading. The sweep of the Christian story is so much broader than a presentation of some technique on how I can "go to heaven" or make Jesus "my personal savior" or a description of how people "get saved".

In first century Judaism, the historical context of the Christian drama, the Christian story finds very earthy beginnings. Judaism, in it many manifestations, thought that God would piece together his broken creation and that this would be accomplished through Israel. The Dead Sea community tried to accomplish this through withdrawal, the Herod’s of the time opted for political compromise, and the zealots through holy war. Jesus, however, called for a national turning, of Israel, to give up her political and national aims and goals and to trust him and his aims instead. The time for their world had finally come to an end and now God was inaugurating a new kingdom - a renewed world for a renewed people.

How this was effected is striking indeed! Jesus’ program was not about military battles but about turning the other cheek and going the second mile. It was not about separating from the traitors that lived amongst them but re-incorporating them. It was not about sorrowful lament and fasting but about eating and drinking in celebration. But at the heart of his agenda, however, was a cross and he would defeat Death and undo its curse by letting it do its worst to him and beat it from the inside out.

Here, in the backwaters of the Roman Empire with a crucified Jew, is where the creator of the cosmos, its greatest lover, has decisively undone what death in all its ugliness had attempted to attain for itself. Contrary to what a casual onlooker might have thought, when Jesus was being led to his crucifixion, it was he who was leading Death to its demise. The via dolorosa ironically was a triumphal procession, a celebration of his victory over Death instead of the other way around. The Death’s curse and grave would not hold him and, in short, his resurrection from the dead was his vindication that he had indeed accomplished that decisive victory over death’s curse.

Our only freedom from Death’s grip is to be made participants in the victory Christ has accomplished. In short, freedom from Death is found in union with Christ’s death to Death. "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, for this purpose: just as Christ was raised from the dead . . . we also may live a new life. We know that our old humanity was crucified with him . . . The death he died– he died to sin -- once -- for everyone . . . So you also consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

The basic Christian affirmation is that the story of God’s victory over the power of death in Jesus of Nazareth is not simply about conveying true information about Jesus to be admired from afar, it is also a summons. The retelling of the Christian drama is done through Word and Sacrament and this is the means by which the living God reaches out and creates his community-- calling men and women along with boys and girls, to give their allegiance to Christ.

And so to tie this in to my recent reading on baptism, it seems, that in it we tell our children -- and ourselves-- that there is a world out there that is radically broken. We send the message that there is something so utterly wrong with that world that only death and a rebirth can correct it. In baptism we also declare that there is a new humanity and God is re-birthing another world. And although the full scope of that work is not yet complete something definitively, decisively, and presently has already happened. The broken world is now old and passing away and we have been marked out for a new one.

Baptismal Efficacy & Symbolism and Faith

2004-08-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Barb at http://www.upsaid.com/scarecrow/ for bringing attention to the following two articles concerning baptism:

Rich Lusk's lengthy essay discusses a Reformed & Presbyterian understanding of baptismal efficacy in light of some recent detractors. Full of quoates from historic Reformed authors and Confessions. Here is just one of several quotes that he gives from John Calvin's Institutes:

We must realize that at whatever time we are baptized, we are once for all washed and purged for our whole life. Therefore, as often as we fall away, we ought to recall the memory of our baptism and fortify our mind with it, that we may always be sure and confident of the forgiveness of sins (4.15.3).

http://www.auburnavenue.org/Articles/DO%20I%20BELIEVE%20IN%20BAPTISMAL%20REGENERATION.htm

Mark Horne's brief article makes a fitting analogy between the relationship between cash and a check and baptism and the remarkable things it accomplishes. The imagery, if I understand it correctly, works in three steps. (1)Someone promises to give you $100 then, (2) hands you a check for that amount and (3) finally you take it to the bank to cash it out. Thus, from the perspective of baptism, (1) God, in covenant relationship, promises certain remarkable things; (2) baptism is by analogy a check given to us by God for those things; (3)we can then 'cash it out' by faith.

http://www.hornes.org/theologia/content/mark_horne/baptism_symbols_faith.htm

New Wineskins for New Wine

2004-08-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

As a reader of the NT, one of the questions that interest me is asking where does Jesus belongs within first century Judaism. I have found those studies which place Jesus so comfortably within the Jewish context of the day that he becomes indistinguishable from the cultural background and is therefore camouflaged within the existing categories to be less than gratifying. Equally unsatisfying are those who present Jesus as disconnected from his Jewish and highly ritualized culture so as to make him a teacher of timeless spiritual truths.

In other words, I doubt that Jesus was so enmeshed in the traditions of his culture that he was simply an average run-of-the-mill Joe who was really unremarkable. I also doubt that he looked so different from his culture that he could be mistaken as an American Evangelical or German existentialist.

I am prone to see Jesus’ relationship with Judaism as one of continuity and conflict. He has continuity with Judaism in that he saw his mission as not only being rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures but actually embodying its eschatological message of hope and restoration. He had conflict because he was embodying this message in a such a way that it undermined various renewal groups and went so far astray from the established ancient paths that it threatening the very pillars of Jewish identity.

An example of this may be seen in mark 2:18-22. Jesus is criticized because his movement eats and drinks whereas other movements such as John’s or the Pharisees fast. Now fasting was a pillar of Jewish identity and a stable part of Israel’s self-identity. This is supported by Leviticus 16 which prescribed a yearly fast for the Day of Atonement and Zechariah 8:19 which refers to four other annually celebrated fasts. We also know that the Pharisees as a practice regularly fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12).

In Israel’s a highly ritualized culture such symbolic gestures were a way of communicating something about the condition of the person. So, for example, if a person’s spouse died that grief might be made manifest to communicate the person’s inability to sleep (thus, the keeping of a vigil), or there unconcern about clothing (thus, the wearing sackcloth), or indifference about normal appearances (thus, the placing of ashes on the forehead). Hence, fasting, it seems, refers to the practice of not eating or drinking for a designated period of time in order to say something - to make a statement.

In first century Judaism, as I understand it, the fasting done by various Jewish sects was a way of making manifest their lament over the disasters that had befallen Israel, of mourning that Yahweh had not at the present time brought in his kingdom, and of humbling oneself before God so that he might visit their plight. These groups were symbolically making a statement to God in order to manifest the nature of their plight with the hope that he would take notice of their pitiful and subjugated position. They were hoping that God would respond out of a faithful and long-suffering commitment to his covenant and act on behalf of the nation.

Such symbolic gestures of lament and sorrow over the current state of affairs, however, were out of place in Jesus’ ministry. Why? Because Yahweh was currently visiting his people, healing and liberating them, reconstructing a new world around Jesus. This fits, I think, Jesus’ message that ‘the time had been fulfilled’. The era of Israel’s curse– the old age– had run its course and a new era was now turning the corner. Jesus’ ministry, then, was focused on inviting and welcoming others to come and participate in this new era by celebrating and enjoying what God was now doing.

As to the specifics of Jesus’ response, the first part consisted of a saying pivoting on the imagery of a bridegroom. So here lay a point of continuity between Jesus and the others: bridegroom imagery was an understoodand fertile source of theological discourse which, throughout the OT prophets, pictured Yahweh’s relationship with Israel. Yahweh as groom takes Israel as his bride. Many of those details, however, describe Israel's infidelity, running around with strangers, and God's inflamed infuriation with it. Because of this offense Israel would be exposed to the curse of great shame. But there is also frequently a note of hope and expectation. Someday Yahweh would, with great compassion and long suffering, call back Israel, who was now like an abandoned wife, and in that day would renew his covenant with her and turn his face back to her (e.g., Isaiah 54).

The second and third image focus on the powerfully newness of everything Jesus is accomplishing. Something quite different was being forged right before their eyes. But would they have the eyes to see it? So here lay the point of conflict: the disciples of John and the Pharisees have an agenda as to what it means to be "true Israel" that reflects the old order of things, while Jesus is already bringing in the new order.

The various religious factions are, accordingly, warned that if they continue in the same old way then they would eventually run headlong into ruin. Old clothes cannot prevent a new patch from shrinking. Old wineskins cannot suppress the expansion of fermenting wine. So the old ways of being Israel, represented in the symbolic gesture of fasting as it was manifested in the lament over the old order, could not possibly accommodate what Jesus is doing. The new and old cannot mix. So how was this new era defined? The inauguration of this new age was recognized, not in fasting, but within a renewed covenantal relationship manifested in celebratory meals. Jesus’ disciples were a group of sinners who gathered to eat and drink.

Baptism in the PCA

2004-08-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Being an Intern and regular teacher within a PCA congregation it has been pressing upon me that to many of those attending our church seem not to be familiar with the content of the Westminster Standards regarding baptism. This is particularly lamentable given the relatively "high view" baptism has played in historic Presbyterianism. I present the following bullet points as an entry way into the viewpoint of the Westminster Standards.

Baptism is a sign. As a sign baptism primarily symbolizes something about God. Baptism is a picture of God's covenant faithfulness in bringing about the covenant benefits through Christ. The water of baptism pictures, among other things, Christ washing away the guilt of our sins and also sanctifying us against the dominion and corruption of sin.

Baptism is a seal. As a seal it marks out those baptized as being placed in union with Christ. Now in that union we are marked out as recipients of regeneration, the remission of sins, adoption, and resurrection unto eternal life.

Baptism is efficacious. Being efficacious simply means that baptism has effects or actually accomplishes something. Baptism then, is understood to be an instrument by which those things which are symbolized and sealed are also applied to us. In brief, baptism is one of the ordinary means by which we are saved. By stressing the instrumental nature of it the Westminster Standards have attempted to avoid any magical or superstitious notions concerning its sacramental efficacy. The salvific effects of baptism are derived from the Spirit who, in his own timing, confers and applies the grace of God and benefits of Christ to the elect.

Baptism contains obligations and duties. Those who are baptized have been entered into a public obligation to belong completely and wholly as God's possession. They also have a duty to give serious contemplation to their baptism and what it means. This is especially true in times of temptation. So important was this that to neglect to do so is considered a great sin.

Baptism is to be administrated by the Session. Only God ordained members of a Session are given the power, authority, and responsibility to ensure baptism is properly administered. The Session is to make sure that all who credibly profess faith in Christ are to receive the sacrament of baptism. It is also under their charge that any baptism is not unnecessarily delayed and that parents in the church do not negligent presenting their children for baptism.

Baptism is to be administered only once. The PCA has understood that there is only one baptism and so has prohibited re-baptism. We, therefore, never baptize anyone more than once. All baptisms in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit done by a Christian Church are accepted.