Except in the summer, I meet with a group of Lutheran pastors to study God's Word and discuss life in the churches we serve. In August this year Pr. Carl Roth of Livingston, Texas began to lead us in a discussion of Leviticus by John Kleinig.It is part of the Concordia Commentary series. Does that strike you as strange? It should, because nobody studies Leviticus any longer, even though it lies at the heart of the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch), is full of the Good News of God's love, and is central to the understanding of Christ's death.
To quote Kleinig: "The letter to the Hebrews, with its profound liturgical theology of Christ as both the great High Priest and the once-for-all sacrifice, would be inscrutable without Leviticus" (p.26).
Let me translate Kleinig's "inscrutable" sentence and comment upon the way we who sit in the pews and classrooms must often suffer through sermons and lectures that simply do not relate to us. That's what the word inscrutable points to. You hear or read words and you believe they have some meaning, but you can't figure out what in the world that meaning is.
Take a look at several words in his sentence: profound, liturgical and theology. Can these words be translated so they make better sense for us all?
Start with profound. The word refers to something really deep, like the Atlantic ocean. Kleinig is telling us is that the letter to the Hebrews has some deep insights and great knowledge hidden within it. We have only to dive in, dig down and explore. When doing so with the help of Leviticus we will better understand . . .what? Liturgical theology.
Liturgical theology? What's that? Let's press on.
The word Liturgical may cause you to think about liturgy. For some of us the word liturgy stirs up disgust in our hearts. The very word pulls up memories of the dull, boring, tired and useless rituals of public worship services we attended as children, together with long-winded, meaningless sermons. I recall many times in my teen years when I felt that way--even as I believed myself to be on the path toward become a pastor and leader of public worship. Not everyone feels that way, of course, but a significant number of Christians do. That's why they choose to attend churches that go out of their way -- way out of their way -- to avoid any semblance to those churches that are liturgical.
So right off the get-go Kleing is assuming that we, his readers, want to gain some deeper insights into things liturgical AND that there is a liturgical theology of Christ in the book of Hebrews we should get excited about. For those Christians among us who have never gotten excited about the rote, routine, weary, worn-out rituals of some liturgical worship services, there would be no reason at all to plow on through such a study. We don't mind learning more about what God has to tell us about Jesus Christ. We love our Bibles and we love God-talk (theology), but, please, don't get me involved with things liturgical--please!
But what if there were things liturgical that really got to you? Originally the word referred to public acts of service among the Greeks. So if I led a project to build a temple or served as a senator or passed out food to the poor I was doing my liturgy, my public service. Such acts always involved certain repeated steps, certain routines.
Let me tell you a story.
Back in 1968 I was attending graduate school at the University of Chicago. It was the week before Palm Sunday, the week in which Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered. All of Chicago was stirred up. Many predominantly black communities went up in flames as residents rioted in anger and fear. That Sunday our family attended a liturgical worship service. During the service the pastor arranged for two children to walk down the aisle hand in hand, one black and the other white. As they walked we sang "We Shall Overcome." Believe me, there was not a dry eye in the church. Memory of that occasion still chokes me up. That was liturgy with meaning, profound meaning!
What if our study of Leviticus helps us pastors to capture such an understanding of public worship, of liturgy? What if we are able to become the kind of ministers of God through whom God and God's Son, Jesus, ministers to our deep needs, our pains, fears, hopes and longings through the renewed and renewing rites of liturgical worship? Would you be interested? Think about it. Meanwhile, this group of pastors intends to carry on with their study. Pray for us.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
What Is An Angel Anyway?
I am developing the plot for a new book. I'm planning to write in a genre I've never explored before--fantasy. In order to move into this story I'm having to do a bunch of research. As I do so I realize--again--that all of us tend to use words with inexact meanings or we use words in ways that convey strange and different meanings. That may be good. . .and it may be quite harmful. As part of the background for my story I find it necessary to review the term angel.
Angel is a term used in many ways. There are so many confusing ideas about who or what angels are, what kind of bodies they have, what powers they have, whether children become angels when they die, and on and on and on. What I want to do is make an angel one of the main helper characters in my book. So I'm having to do some digging to be sure I write within the boundaries of revealed knowledge in the Bible and not get caught up in the fantasies and imaginings of many. There are, as you probably know, many writers who claim to have spoken with angels or have been encountered by angels.
We often use the term to speak about human beings. "My dear," she said, "you're an absolute angel to come to my rescue." Or again, "She sings like an angel!" Once more, "I know you're not supposed to let us in, but be an angel and do it anyway." And finally, "Betty, ever the angel of mercy, organized the women of her church to collect food for the hurricane victims."
In its origin, the term is Greek for messenger and is so used in the Bible. Jesus sent angels ahead of him into the villages as he moved toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:52). These were not spirit beings, but disciples. Speaking of John the Baptist, Jesus quoted Malachi 3:1, "Behold I send my angel berfore your face, who will prepare your way before you." Again, James (2:25) writes about Rahab the harlot in the Old Testament story receiving the angels sent by Joshua to scout out the land and helping them to escape (Joshua 7:22). In these cases, the Bible uses the Greek word angel, but means human messengers or ambassadors.
Greek literature used the term for supernatural beings connected with the underworld. Supernatural means they have powers that are beyond our natural and normal understanding and control. Such beings are both good and bad and may also be called demons. They are not, however, normally intermediaries between men and the gods.
In the Old Testament one angel is called the Angel of the Lord (see Genesis 16,21,22,24,40 and 48;Exodus 3,14,23,32 and 33; Numbers 22; Judges2,6 and 13, etc. He appeared to Hagar, Abraham, Moses and others. Christians have long believed that this Messenger was the Lord Jesus before he became a child in the Virgin Mary's womb.
Again, angels are mysterious beings who appear to men, bringing messages from God. They are creatures, not eternal gods and goddesses. They have power to control the forces of nature on the earth, sometimes destroying entire cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). They guard God's beloved children and carry them to heaven after death (Luke 16:22). They are able to bring destruction, plagues and death. They have power over the animal world and earthquakes, hail, thunder, lightning and wind (Revelation 14-16). As such they seem to be much involved in the goings on of this planet. Their true home is, however, in heaven. Could heaven refer to the vastness of space beyond our tiny planet?
I've not spoken about the rebellion that took place at some time (if I may use the earthly term), before our planet was created. They were led in their rebellion by a spirit of great beauty and power. So wondrous was he that he was called "morning star" (Isaiah 14:12-15). Jesus saw this great spirit fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). He and they who followed him are now confined to the earth and forbidden to return to heaven. We call this great spirit Satan or Devil, both terms meaning adversary, one from the Hebrew and the other from the Greek.
Of what nature are these beings, these angels? There are those who today claim that they are of the matter known by scientists as "dark matter." Dark matter, we are told, makes up as much as 90 percent of the universe. We do not know what it is. We only know it exists. We can only speculate at this point.
I could go on and on and on about angels. If I ever get to writing that book, I'll have to know much more. One way for you to learn more and to speak accurately about angels is to download a Bible study from Concordia Publishing House called Angels and Demons by Armand Boehme. There are literally thousands of books available in our day about angels. Much of what is written is fantasy indeed. As for myself, I believe I'll stick with God's revelation and then when I get to meet an angel I'll have a good start for our discussion. On the other hand, I may be so frightened by his/her appearance I won't even be able to open my mouth.
Angel is a term used in many ways. There are so many confusing ideas about who or what angels are, what kind of bodies they have, what powers they have, whether children become angels when they die, and on and on and on. What I want to do is make an angel one of the main helper characters in my book. So I'm having to do some digging to be sure I write within the boundaries of revealed knowledge in the Bible and not get caught up in the fantasies and imaginings of many. There are, as you probably know, many writers who claim to have spoken with angels or have been encountered by angels.
We often use the term to speak about human beings. "My dear," she said, "you're an absolute angel to come to my rescue." Or again, "She sings like an angel!" Once more, "I know you're not supposed to let us in, but be an angel and do it anyway." And finally, "Betty, ever the angel of mercy, organized the women of her church to collect food for the hurricane victims."
In its origin, the term is Greek for messenger and is so used in the Bible. Jesus sent angels ahead of him into the villages as he moved toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:52). These were not spirit beings, but disciples. Speaking of John the Baptist, Jesus quoted Malachi 3:1, "Behold I send my angel berfore your face, who will prepare your way before you." Again, James (2:25) writes about Rahab the harlot in the Old Testament story receiving the angels sent by Joshua to scout out the land and helping them to escape (Joshua 7:22). In these cases, the Bible uses the Greek word angel, but means human messengers or ambassadors.
Greek literature used the term for supernatural beings connected with the underworld. Supernatural means they have powers that are beyond our natural and normal understanding and control. Such beings are both good and bad and may also be called demons. They are not, however, normally intermediaries between men and the gods.
In the Old Testament one angel is called the Angel of the Lord (see Genesis 16,21,22,24,40 and 48;Exodus 3,14,23,32 and 33; Numbers 22; Judges2,6 and 13, etc. He appeared to Hagar, Abraham, Moses and others. Christians have long believed that this Messenger was the Lord Jesus before he became a child in the Virgin Mary's womb.
Again, angels are mysterious beings who appear to men, bringing messages from God. They are creatures, not eternal gods and goddesses. They have power to control the forces of nature on the earth, sometimes destroying entire cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). They guard God's beloved children and carry them to heaven after death (Luke 16:22). They are able to bring destruction, plagues and death. They have power over the animal world and earthquakes, hail, thunder, lightning and wind (Revelation 14-16). As such they seem to be much involved in the goings on of this planet. Their true home is, however, in heaven. Could heaven refer to the vastness of space beyond our tiny planet?
I've not spoken about the rebellion that took place at some time (if I may use the earthly term), before our planet was created. They were led in their rebellion by a spirit of great beauty and power. So wondrous was he that he was called "morning star" (Isaiah 14:12-15). Jesus saw this great spirit fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). He and they who followed him are now confined to the earth and forbidden to return to heaven. We call this great spirit Satan or Devil, both terms meaning adversary, one from the Hebrew and the other from the Greek.
Of what nature are these beings, these angels? There are those who today claim that they are of the matter known by scientists as "dark matter." Dark matter, we are told, makes up as much as 90 percent of the universe. We do not know what it is. We only know it exists. We can only speculate at this point.
I could go on and on and on about angels. If I ever get to writing that book, I'll have to know much more. One way for you to learn more and to speak accurately about angels is to download a Bible study from Concordia Publishing House called Angels and Demons by Armand Boehme. There are literally thousands of books available in our day about angels. Much of what is written is fantasy indeed. As for myself, I believe I'll stick with God's revelation and then when I get to meet an angel I'll have a good start for our discussion. On the other hand, I may be so frightened by his/her appearance I won't even be able to open my mouth.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The Beatitudes Are Gospel, Not Law
It finally caught up with me. I knew it was there, but hoped I could get past it without further medical help. To no avail. I finally had to admit myself to the hospital so the Docs could load my body up with anti-biotics. So went the weekend and, in a sense, so went last week. Now here it is, over a week later and I'm finally back at the computer.
So what does one do when he's flat on his back in a hospital bed? Watch TV? A little, but so much of what's on the screen truly appalls or bores me. Instead I turned to a book I've been wanting to work with for a number of weeks: Rob Warner's "The Sermon on the Mount." Rob is from England and a Bible teacher out of Queen's Road Baptist Church in Wimbledon. He has degrees in theology and English literature, but is apparently not an ordained minister.
He writes well and has some good insights into the background of the Sermon on the Mount. For instance, there's ever been confusion about what seem to be two different accounts of the sermon, one by Matthew and the other by Luke. Warner points out that it is quite plausible to suggest that Matthew and Luke are reporting the same event, but from significantly different perspectives. Both are relying on different eyewitness accounts passed on in verbal or written traditions.
He further points out that neither Gospel makes any claim to provide a verbatim account of Jesus' preaching. Jesus may well have repeated the themes of the sermon on various occasions and Luke could well be recording a different, but similar sermon from Jesus' itinerant preaching. Thus both Matthew and Luke are faithful, but not verbatim reporters of the extended preaching of Jesus.
I thought those were good points, well made. So I pressed on to discover what Warner had to say about the Sermon's introduction, Matthew 5:3-12, the Eight Beatitudes. Warner calls them Eight Steps to Fulfilment - the Characteristics of the Blessed. As soon as I read the title of that chapter I knew we were in trouble. Rob has it all upside down. He assumes that the Lord Jesus is beginning the chapter with a series of eight statements of the moral Law, a way of life the Christian is to follow in order to be blessed and reach fulfilment.
Let me explain what I mean by the moral Law. Consider Jesus' confrontation of a young man who came to him searching for eternal life (Matthew 19:16-30). Jesus told him to obey the commandments, essentially summarized in the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20. Confident that he had always been doing that, he shied from Jesus' demand that he give all his possessions to the poor and come and follow Jesus. He obviously loved his wealth. In this case, Jesus did use the Law, because the young man's sin had to be uncovered.
That is the first and primary use of the Law -- to uncover and reveal sin in our lives. There is a second, common way we are all confronted with the Law in our daily lives. That's in the civil laws that surround and hedge us all in. This morning's paper was filled with instances of stealing, cheating, killing and adultery. The only way this kind of activity is held in check at all is by the outward enforcing of the civil laws passed by our legislators or the Law written on the hearts of us all, the Law that creates our consciences.
Now Warner makes use of both these kinds of Law in his exposition of the Beatitudes. He decries the immorality of the Western world and he encourages the governments to fulfill their obligations. Then he goes one step further. He makes a third use of the Law. He speaks to Christians, those of us who have put our faith in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and accepted him as our Savior. Follow the rules or "eight steps" laid down by Jesus and you too will reach personal fulfilment!
For instance, he writes, "In order to receive the blessing due to those who are poor in spirit (emphasis added), we need to rediscover our spiritual impotence. We are simply and wholly unable to fulfil our potential as the servants of God until we discover our absolute dependence upon the resources of heaven." When we do, "we enter into the blessing that Jesus attached to the condition of being poor in spirit. The blessedness to which Jesus invites us therefore begins not from achieving sufficient spiritual merit, but from discovering our acute spiritual inadequacy" (pp.49-51).
So step one: discover your acute spiritual inadequacy and you will be blessed with the Kingdom of heaven.
Step two is much like it: mourn and agonize over the depths of your own sinfulness, the selfish instincts that find expression so easily. Then you will "experience the fullness of Jesus' promise of comfort to those who mourn. You will receive present forgiveness through the grace of God in Christ; once-for-all liberation beyond the grave from the sinful nature; and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.
So he continues throughout his exposition, turning each of the Eight Beatitudes into a step in the new interpretation of the Law by Jesus. The final step is to gain a new perspective on the value of life and identify with Jesus, as did the early Christian martyrs. In doing so you will be persecuted, but you will gain the Kingdom.
Every one of Warner's "eight steps" is Law! Jesus is the new Law giver, the same as Moses. Accept Jesus' grace and forgiveness, yes, but then follow the "eight steps" to complete fulfillment and the blessings of the Kingdom.
How sad, I thought, how very sad. I came away from this reading feeling sick spiritually. I was already sick physically. Throughout the exposition Law was mingled with the Good News of Jesus, the Gospel. In so doing he left me confused, thrown back upon what I must do in order to obtain the blessing of Jesus and His Kingdom. Finally I threw the book down. I could read no further. I had enough problems dealing with the infection in my body. I needed not another in my soul.
If I have left you confused, I invite you to read my own exposition of the Beatitudes. All of the Beatitudes are Jesus' teaching about Himself. He is the One who became poor in spirit, who mourned over sin, who was meek, who hungered and thirsted for righteousness, was merciful, pure in heart, the peacemaker and the persecuted One - all for us. He calls us to be in Him, daily dying with Him through our Baptism and rising again with Him to the new life. The Beatitudes are not another exposition of the Law, a third use of it. They are all Gospel, all Good News brought to us by Jesus, God's Son and the King Himself. In Him the Kingdom of God is present and in Him we are truly blessed, for He is the Son with whom the Father is well pleased and because of Him the Father is pleased to grant us the Kingdom as well.
So what does one do when he's flat on his back in a hospital bed? Watch TV? A little, but so much of what's on the screen truly appalls or bores me. Instead I turned to a book I've been wanting to work with for a number of weeks: Rob Warner's "The Sermon on the Mount." Rob is from England and a Bible teacher out of Queen's Road Baptist Church in Wimbledon. He has degrees in theology and English literature, but is apparently not an ordained minister.
He writes well and has some good insights into the background of the Sermon on the Mount. For instance, there's ever been confusion about what seem to be two different accounts of the sermon, one by Matthew and the other by Luke. Warner points out that it is quite plausible to suggest that Matthew and Luke are reporting the same event, but from significantly different perspectives. Both are relying on different eyewitness accounts passed on in verbal or written traditions.
He further points out that neither Gospel makes any claim to provide a verbatim account of Jesus' preaching. Jesus may well have repeated the themes of the sermon on various occasions and Luke could well be recording a different, but similar sermon from Jesus' itinerant preaching. Thus both Matthew and Luke are faithful, but not verbatim reporters of the extended preaching of Jesus.
I thought those were good points, well made. So I pressed on to discover what Warner had to say about the Sermon's introduction, Matthew 5:3-12, the Eight Beatitudes. Warner calls them Eight Steps to Fulfilment - the Characteristics of the Blessed. As soon as I read the title of that chapter I knew we were in trouble. Rob has it all upside down. He assumes that the Lord Jesus is beginning the chapter with a series of eight statements of the moral Law, a way of life the Christian is to follow in order to be blessed and reach fulfilment.
Let me explain what I mean by the moral Law. Consider Jesus' confrontation of a young man who came to him searching for eternal life (Matthew 19:16-30). Jesus told him to obey the commandments, essentially summarized in the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20. Confident that he had always been doing that, he shied from Jesus' demand that he give all his possessions to the poor and come and follow Jesus. He obviously loved his wealth. In this case, Jesus did use the Law, because the young man's sin had to be uncovered.
That is the first and primary use of the Law -- to uncover and reveal sin in our lives. There is a second, common way we are all confronted with the Law in our daily lives. That's in the civil laws that surround and hedge us all in. This morning's paper was filled with instances of stealing, cheating, killing and adultery. The only way this kind of activity is held in check at all is by the outward enforcing of the civil laws passed by our legislators or the Law written on the hearts of us all, the Law that creates our consciences.
Now Warner makes use of both these kinds of Law in his exposition of the Beatitudes. He decries the immorality of the Western world and he encourages the governments to fulfill their obligations. Then he goes one step further. He makes a third use of the Law. He speaks to Christians, those of us who have put our faith in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and accepted him as our Savior. Follow the rules or "eight steps" laid down by Jesus and you too will reach personal fulfilment!
For instance, he writes, "In order to receive the blessing due to those who are poor in spirit (emphasis added), we need to rediscover our spiritual impotence. We are simply and wholly unable to fulfil our potential as the servants of God until we discover our absolute dependence upon the resources of heaven." When we do, "we enter into the blessing that Jesus attached to the condition of being poor in spirit. The blessedness to which Jesus invites us therefore begins not from achieving sufficient spiritual merit, but from discovering our acute spiritual inadequacy" (pp.49-51).
So step one: discover your acute spiritual inadequacy and you will be blessed with the Kingdom of heaven.
Step two is much like it: mourn and agonize over the depths of your own sinfulness, the selfish instincts that find expression so easily. Then you will "experience the fullness of Jesus' promise of comfort to those who mourn. You will receive present forgiveness through the grace of God in Christ; once-for-all liberation beyond the grave from the sinful nature; and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.
So he continues throughout his exposition, turning each of the Eight Beatitudes into a step in the new interpretation of the Law by Jesus. The final step is to gain a new perspective on the value of life and identify with Jesus, as did the early Christian martyrs. In doing so you will be persecuted, but you will gain the Kingdom.
Every one of Warner's "eight steps" is Law! Jesus is the new Law giver, the same as Moses. Accept Jesus' grace and forgiveness, yes, but then follow the "eight steps" to complete fulfillment and the blessings of the Kingdom.
How sad, I thought, how very sad. I came away from this reading feeling sick spiritually. I was already sick physically. Throughout the exposition Law was mingled with the Good News of Jesus, the Gospel. In so doing he left me confused, thrown back upon what I must do in order to obtain the blessing of Jesus and His Kingdom. Finally I threw the book down. I could read no further. I had enough problems dealing with the infection in my body. I needed not another in my soul.
If I have left you confused, I invite you to read my own exposition of the Beatitudes. All of the Beatitudes are Jesus' teaching about Himself. He is the One who became poor in spirit, who mourned over sin, who was meek, who hungered and thirsted for righteousness, was merciful, pure in heart, the peacemaker and the persecuted One - all for us. He calls us to be in Him, daily dying with Him through our Baptism and rising again with Him to the new life. The Beatitudes are not another exposition of the Law, a third use of it. They are all Gospel, all Good News brought to us by Jesus, God's Son and the King Himself. In Him the Kingdom of God is present and in Him we are truly blessed, for He is the Son with whom the Father is well pleased and because of Him the Father is pleased to grant us the Kingdom as well.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
What Peculiar People We Are
What is a heritage? And what is this heritage that I want us to reclaim? If Heritage is in the name, both of this Blog and of my upcoming e-zine, it needs some clarification. At least it would be good for me to understand what that means. Then, perhaps I can help you to understand it as well.
My online dictionary gives the following definitions:
A heritage is property that is or may be inherited, an inheritance. These can be valued objects or qualities, such as cultural traditions, unspoiled countryside, and historic buildings that have been passed down from previous generations: the richness of our diverse cultural heritage.
I recall that when my mother died my sister and I were going through her things. This led to a discussion of what my sister wanted of Mother's possessions and what I wanted. One of the things I kept and later passed on to my son was a maplewood table, chairs and hutch. That particular table and chairs have recycled back to us and are now in our vacation home in colorado. I suppose that when my wife and I join the company of the saints, there will be things our children will want to pass on to their children or keep for themselves. In a very real sense, we have started to think of our vacation home as our family heritage.
But going on. In speaking of heritage we can talk about a sense of history, as of a plant variety not hybridized with another. One example of this would be old-fashioned, heritage roses. Why there's even an organization devoted to preserving heritage roses established just twenty years ago. They call themselves the Heritage Rose Foundation.
Finally, the word heritage has a somewhat outmoded and archaic sense to it. It can refer to a special or individual possession or an allotted portion. So the people of Israel were taught to think of themselves as God's chosen people. The basic example of this is recorded in Deuteronomy 7 where Moses tells them that they are a "holy people unto the LORD thy God ...chosen ...to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." That could get to you, especially if you begin to think of yourselves as better than others. However, the LORD doesn't permit that kind of thinking, especially since He wants them to know He chose them because of the promises He made to their forefather Abraham and because He is a God of grace and love.
Archaic or not, that's what I see this e-zine and this Blog being about. We Christians also consider ourselves to be chosen people, do we not? It was the Apostle Peter himself who called us believers in Christ God's chosen people. The old King James Version translation of the 1 Peter 2 text also says we Christians are a peculiar people. I've often felt that way about Christians. We are a peculiar lot, very peculiar at times. However, I later learned that peculiar in the sense used by the KJV refers to something or someone you have gone out of your way to possess, so it or she is particularly yours and no one else's. Maybe one ought to think of all the trouble, time and money a young man spent in courting his wife. Now they belong to one another and to no one else.
It is this sense of who we are, this sense of being special, chosen and, yes, peculiar that I seek to reclaim in all its ramifications. Once you know that this is your heritage, then many things about how you live, how you see yourself and how you view the world follow.
My online dictionary gives the following definitions:
A heritage is property that is or may be inherited, an inheritance. These can be valued objects or qualities, such as cultural traditions, unspoiled countryside, and historic buildings that have been passed down from previous generations: the richness of our diverse cultural heritage.
I recall that when my mother died my sister and I were going through her things. This led to a discussion of what my sister wanted of Mother's possessions and what I wanted. One of the things I kept and later passed on to my son was a maplewood table, chairs and hutch. That particular table and chairs have recycled back to us and are now in our vacation home in colorado. I suppose that when my wife and I join the company of the saints, there will be things our children will want to pass on to their children or keep for themselves. In a very real sense, we have started to think of our vacation home as our family heritage.
But going on. In speaking of heritage we can talk about a sense of history, as of a plant variety not hybridized with another. One example of this would be old-fashioned, heritage roses. Why there's even an organization devoted to preserving heritage roses established just twenty years ago. They call themselves the Heritage Rose Foundation.
Finally, the word heritage has a somewhat outmoded and archaic sense to it. It can refer to a special or individual possession or an allotted portion. So the people of Israel were taught to think of themselves as God's chosen people. The basic example of this is recorded in Deuteronomy 7 where Moses tells them that they are a "holy people unto the LORD thy God ...chosen ...to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." That could get to you, especially if you begin to think of yourselves as better than others. However, the LORD doesn't permit that kind of thinking, especially since He wants them to know He chose them because of the promises He made to their forefather Abraham and because He is a God of grace and love.
Archaic or not, that's what I see this e-zine and this Blog being about. We Christians also consider ourselves to be chosen people, do we not? It was the Apostle Peter himself who called us believers in Christ God's chosen people. The old King James Version translation of the 1 Peter 2 text also says we Christians are a peculiar people. I've often felt that way about Christians. We are a peculiar lot, very peculiar at times. However, I later learned that peculiar in the sense used by the KJV refers to something or someone you have gone out of your way to possess, so it or she is particularly yours and no one else's. Maybe one ought to think of all the trouble, time and money a young man spent in courting his wife. Now they belong to one another and to no one else.
It is this sense of who we are, this sense of being special, chosen and, yes, peculiar that I seek to reclaim in all its ramifications. Once you know that this is your heritage, then many things about how you live, how you see yourself and how you view the world follow.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Ezines and My Dizzy Head
Today has been a 'down' day for me. The thermometer reads nearly 100, both outside the house and inside my body, and most of the day I've been in bed. As the day ends I'm feeling a bit better, but not much. . .
Having said that, I still cannot turn off my head. Thoughts about my proposed e-zine still chase one another within it. In the mail I received the August 2007 editions of Forum Letter and Reporter (LCMS' official newspaper).
In the Forum Letter current editor, Pr. Russell E. Saltzman writes his farewells. In his comments he lists the problem the ELCA has with their rules about gay pastors--they recently removed one from office. He raises the question about when human life begins--"If we would kill the unborn, we must first declare their "inhumanity." And he points out that Lutherans have always insisted on the the marks of the church (Word and Sacrament)as the way to identify the true church, while Rome insists on an ordered ministry in apostolic succession. Finally he says that over his 17 year tenure as editor he has written as a parish pastor who encounters the church at her elemental level, in the parish, and more particularly, a Lutheran parish.
Perhaps that's a clue to what I see my e-zine doing.
The LCMS Reporter, on the other hand, reported on the recent convention in Houston. President Kieshnick reports that "this convention demonstrated by far the greatest sense I have seen of collegiality and harmony and frank discussion of the issues. . . in a spirit of Christian respect--and in a spirit of trust..." Of course, not everyone feels that way.
What interests me in this issue of Reporter is an ad for the new Pastoral Care Companion that accompanies the recent publication of Lutheran Service Book (LSB). There's a long and interesting list of topics and rites for the parish life that may well be useful in determining what to address in a parish-oriented e-zine. Samples: apostasy, children in crisis, suicide, infertility, mental disorders, poverty, stillbirth, trouble at work, etc. I'm going to keep the list and am considering ordering the book.
So that's what's going on in my dizzy head. Perhaps I'd better get back to bed if I'm going to be of any use tomorrow.
Having said that, I still cannot turn off my head. Thoughts about my proposed e-zine still chase one another within it. In the mail I received the August 2007 editions of Forum Letter and Reporter (LCMS' official newspaper).
In the Forum Letter current editor, Pr. Russell E. Saltzman
Perhaps that's a clue to what I see my e-zine doing.
The LCMS Reporter, on the other hand, reported on the recent convention in Houston. President Kieshnick reports that "this convention demonstrated by far the greatest sense I have seen of collegiality and harmony and frank discussion of the issues. . . in a spirit of Christian respect--and in a spirit of trust..." Of course, not everyone feels that way.
What interests me in this issue of Reporter is an ad for the new Pastoral Care Companion that accompanies the recent publication of Lutheran Service Book (LSB). There's a long and interesting list of topics and rites for the parish life that may well be useful in determining what to address in a parish-oriented e-zine. Samples: apostasy, children in crisis, suicide, infertility, mental disorders, poverty, stillbirth, trouble at work, etc. I'm going to keep the list and am considering ordering the book.
So that's what's going on in my dizzy head. Perhaps I'd better get back to bed if I'm going to be of any use tomorrow.
What An Ezine Might Do
Today has been a 'down' day for me. The thermometer reads 100 and most of the day I've been in bed. As the day ends I'm feeling a bit better, but not much. . .
Having said that, I still cannot turn off my head and thoughts about the proposed e-zine still chase one another within it. In the mail I received the August 2007 editions of Forum Letter and Reporter (LCMS' official newspaper).
The Forum Letter has the current editor, Pr. Russell E. Saltzman writing his farewells. In his comments he lists the problem the ELCA has with their rules about gay pastors--they recently removed one from office. He raise the question about when human life begins--"If we would kill the unborn, we must first declare their "inhumanity." And he points out that Lutherans have always insisted the the marks of the church (Word and Sacrament) while Rome insists on an ordered ministry in apostolic succession. Finally he says that he has written as a parish pastor who encounters the church at her elemental level, in the parish, and more particularly, a Lutheran parish.
Perhaps that's a clue to what I see the e-zine doing.
The LCMS Reporter, on the other hand, reported on the recent convention in Houston. President Kieshnick reports that "this convention demonstrated by far the greatest sense I have seen of collegiality and harmony and frank discussion of the issues. . . in a spirit of Christian respect--and in a spiritu of trust..." Of course, not everyone feels that way.
What interested me in this issue of Reporter the new Pastoral Care Companion that accompanies the recent publication of Lutheran Service Book. There's a long and interesting list of topics and rites that may well be useful in determining what to address in a parish-oriented e-zine. Samples: apostasy, children in crisis, suicide, infertility, mental disorders, poverty, stillbirth, trouble at work, etc.
I'm going to keep the list and am considering ordering the book. So that's what's going on in my dizzy head. Perhaps I'd better get back to bed if I'm going to be of any use tomorrow.
Having said that, I still cannot turn off my head and thoughts about the proposed e-zine still chase one another within it. In the mail I received the August 2007 editions of Forum Letter and Reporter (LCMS' official newspaper).
The Forum Letter has the current editor, Pr. Russell E. Saltzman
Perhaps that's a clue to what I see the e-zine doing.
The LCMS Reporter, on the other hand, reported on the recent convention in Houston. President Kieshnick reports that "this convention demonstrated by far the greatest sense I have seen of collegiality and harmony and frank discussion of the issues. . . in a spirit of Christian respect--and in a spiritu of trust..." Of course, not everyone feels that way.
What interested me in this issue of Reporter the new Pastoral Care Companion that accompanies the recent publication of Lutheran Service Book. There's a long and interesting list of topics and rites that may well be useful in determining what to address in a parish-oriented e-zine. Samples: apostasy, children in crisis, suicide, infertility, mental disorders, poverty, stillbirth, trouble at work, etc.
I'm going to keep the list and am considering ordering the book. So that's what's going on in my dizzy head. Perhaps I'd better get back to bed if I'm going to be of any use tomorrow.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Things Are Changing
A few of you have been following my blogging over these past three years. Up to now I've always posted my thoughts, research and comments on my own personal website. But that's changing, as I've noted in several earlier postings. Here's what's going on.
I'm changing the entire website. It will have the same title as this Blog, BUT it will be the depository of a new monthly e-zine, once James and I get it up and going. Oh, the 360+ Blogs that I've posted will still be there, but they will be archived. I'll not be adding any more Blogs to that list. Everything else in terms of blogging will happen here. I know, I know. I said I was going to use another service, but I've changed my mind. I like Blogger.com much better. It is easier to set up and easier to use.
In the past week I've been doing a ton of surfing and research. I'm looking for e-zines that do what I and my friends propose. We want to post a monthly e-zine that will provide ministry resources to Christians who live and work in local communities. We don't want to become another theological journal. We want to be a down-to-earth resource, based upon the Word of God and available in language a high schooler can understand. Oh, another thing. We want to speak from the perspective of Lutherans, people who believe in the wondrous grace of God, the supreme authority of the Bible and with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, there's a whole lot more to being Lutheran, but you get the idea for now. So far I have not found any e-zine that does this, so perhaps in the vast world of cyberspace, there's room for our voice.
There are tons of challenges we Christians face every day. So I'm inviting pastors and lay leaders alike to send me contributions on family life, worship, Bible study, current events, challenges for other faiths, e.g. Muslims, sharing the Good News, personal stories and on and on. The only caveat is this: it must be readable.
I'll wait to hear from you. Hopefully, in God's good time we'll get this e-zine up and going sometime in September.
I'm changing the entire website. It will have the same title as this Blog, BUT it will be the depository of a new monthly e-zine, once James and I get it up and going. Oh, the 360+ Blogs that I've posted will still be there, but they will be archived. I'll not be adding any more Blogs to that list. Everything else in terms of blogging will happen here. I know, I know. I said I was going to use another service, but I've changed my mind. I like Blogger.com much better. It is easier to set up and easier to use.
In the past week I've been doing a ton of surfing and research. I'm looking for e-zines that do what I and my friends propose. We want to post a monthly e-zine that will provide ministry resources to Christians who live and work in local communities. We don't want to become another theological journal. We want to be a down-to-earth resource, based upon the Word of God and available in language a high schooler can understand. Oh, another thing. We want to speak from the perspective of Lutherans, people who believe in the wondrous grace of God, the supreme authority of the Bible and with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, there's a whole lot more to being Lutheran, but you get the idea for now. So far I have not found any e-zine that does this, so perhaps in the vast world of cyberspace, there's room for our voice.
There are tons of challenges we Christians face every day. So I'm inviting pastors and lay leaders alike to send me contributions on family life, worship, Bible study, current events, challenges for other faiths, e.g. Muslims, sharing the Good News, personal stories and on and on. The only caveat is this: it must be readable.
I'll wait to hear from you. Hopefully, in God's good time we'll get this e-zine up and going sometime in September.
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